Early Morning Frost
by Sivillian
Summary: Two sisters born in the cruel leaf-bare season are closer than feathers on a bird. Nothing could separate them. But when one leaves the Clan, and the other falls for a kittypet, they cause a war between WindClan and ShadowClan. On Hold For 'The Queen's Prophecy'.
1. Chapter 1

**Warriors (c) Erin Hunter**

**Q&E **(Quick and Easy read)  
I want to keep the chapters short and sweet for a quick read.

6-29-14 10:30 am AHH! My dads reading the story now! ;-;

6-29-14 11:00 am Yay? My dad likes it?

This takes place in the Forest Territories

* * *

**Allegiance WindClan**

_Leader_  


**Wolfstar-** A gray tom with yellow eyes

_Deputy_

**Sproutleaf-** A tortieshell gray she-cat with yellow eyes

_Medicine Cat_

**Dandelioneyes-** A light ginger she-cat with green eyes; Apprentice- Quailpaw

_Warriors_

**Blackbreeze-** A dark brown tom with yellow eyes

**Silvertooth-** A young silver tom with blue eyes; Apprentice- Specklepaw

**Goldenfang-** A young dark ginger-brown she-cat with icy blue eyes

**Twofur-** A light calico she-cat with yellow eyes; Apprentice- Fuzzypaw

**Fallentree-** A dark brown tabby tom with green eyes

**Hookclaw-** A dark brown she-cat with yellow eyes; Apprentice- Pinkpaw

**Gentlevoice-** A gray tabby tom with yellow eyes; Apprentice- Graypaw

**Stripedfoot-** A dark gray tom with blue eyes; Apprentice- Figpaw

**Birdtalon-** A brown tom with yellow eyes; Apprentice- Spottedpaw

**Featherfang-** A gray she-cat with darker gray points with yellow eyes

**Brightfur-** A dusty calico she-cat with leaf-green eyes

**Thornfoot**- A brown tabby tom with yellow eyes

_Apprentices_

**Pinkpaw-** A creamy-brown she-cat with yellow eyes

**Figpaw-** A gray tom with green eyes

**Graypaw-** A gray tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

**Fuzzypaw-** A dusty calico she-cat with green eyes

**Quailpaw-** A brown tom with white paws and flecks with yellow eyes

**Specklepaw-** A white she-cat with black splashes with blue eyes

**Spottedpaw-** A white she-cat with black splashes with blue eyes

_Queens_

**Spotpelt-** A gray she-cat with white patches with blue eyes

**Grasstail-** A white she-cat with tabby brown patches with green eyes

(Mother of Wolfstar's kit: Meadowkit- A white she-kit with gray splashes)

_Elders_

**Tawnytail-** A tan tom with blind yellow eyes

**Badgerclaw-** A black tom with yellow eyes

**Smallfoot-** A gray tabby she-cat with green eyes

Cats who joined StarClan

**A few more and...**

**-Stripedkit- **A white tom with black spots with blue eyes (Still-born by Spotpelt)

**-Birdkit-** A brown tom with yellow eyes (Death by hawk)

**-Mudkit- **A light brown tom with yellow eyes and white paws. (Death_?_ by hawk)

**-Fieldsprint**- A white she-cat with gray tabby patches with green eyes (Death by oldness)

**-Wolfkit-** A gray tom with three legs (Still-born by Grasstail)

-**Stonekit-** A gray tom (Still-born by Grasstail)

-**Gorsekit-** A white and gray tabby she-kit (Still-born by Grasstail)

* * *

Early Morning Frost: Chapter One- Prologue

* * *

The leaf-bare frost coated the camp in a blue crust over the stone and sand and turned the gorse into frozen bramble. The shy sun cast weak light over the moorland. No cat in the Clan emerged from their dens and burrows. The coldness seeped into their thin pelts like water into earth.

The elders huddled in their burrow that nestled in the sides of the camp walls. Their ribs stuck out of their thin frames and their fur hung limply. The apprentices sat in the same burrow as the elders. They tried to keep the elderly cats warm and guard the entrance of the den to keep out the cold. Their hungry stomachs shivered in agony.

The once lean yet powerful warriors curled themselves up like hedgehogs. They took cover from the leaf-bare weather in the small rabbit burrows scattered around the edges of the camp. A sick-looking tom stood alone at the entrance. His eyes were dull and sunken. He felt heart-broken as his Clan took shelter from the early morning frost that did not bother the other Clans.

They were too weak to withstand a thin sheet of frost. He understood, though. Their fresh-kill pile was empty. Not a single tuft of prey was anywhere in the camp. His warriors were hungry. His kits were dead. His deputy could not do anything to help him.

"Wolfstar," A pitiful mew called out to him from a burrow.

The gray tom turned and padded over to the sweet-scented den. He could see his medicine cat's eyes no longer sparkle. The beautiful leaf-green color was drained into a sick gray.

"Yes, Dandelioneyes?" Wolfstar peered in.

"I need to go to RiverClan," She wheezed. "I need herbs."

He nodded slightly but refused. "You would have to cross the river to find a RiverClan patrol right now."

"But, I,"

"Go to ThunderClan." Wolfstar said. "I shall come with you."

"No, Wolfstar." The starved cat shook her head. "You are too weak. Please, let the deputy come with me. She is stronger."

The proud leader gave in. He had not eaten in a very long time. He never ate unless the Clan was fed before him. His last meal was just a forgotten memory. But his deputy was more fit for travel than him.

He limped around the camp looking for his mottle-gray deputy. Wolfstar found her tucked away under the roots of gorse with a warrior.

"Dandelioneyes needs to go to ThunderClan." He said as he prodded her with his paws. "Can you escort her?"

"Yes." The deputy nodded. She heaved herself up and shivered at the chilly air.

"Sproutleaf," Wolfstar looked into her tired, yellow eyes. "I... Please be careful."

"I will." Sproutleaf nodded. "We'll make it through." She gave him an encouraging lick on his forehead.

She padded away to the medicine cat's den. Her bones jutted out of her body like thorns on a rose. Wolfstar watched her until she disappeared behind a patch of gorse and into the burrow.

* * *

"No, Sproutleaf." The ginger medicine cat sighed as the deputy peered into the empty den. "I have no traveling herbs."

"You stole the words right out of my mouth." Sproutleaf laughed sadly.

The two she-cats left the frozen camp. The grass under their paws were brown and crisp. They mindlessly walked across the territory towards the forest.

Sproutleaf thought of Wolfstar as they walked. He was so frail. He could be losing lives from starvation.

Dandelioneyes thought of the queens who were huddling in the deep burrow of the nursery. Two litters were do any day, and another one in a half moon. She desperately needed to bring back anything that would help. The dust of borage leaves for the queen's milk, or scraps of sorrel to stop the rumbling of the Clan's bellies, or a scrawny mouse to keep at least one cat alive.

Sproutleaf felt her body ache and sting with exhaustion and hunger. They didn't wait for a ThunderClan patrol to come by the border. White snowflakes drifted from the sky and shrouded the last bits of sun. They hurriedly crossed the border and entered the forest.

Their bellies groaned as a mouse scuttled across the frozen floor. Finally, two apprentices spotted them. They looked scrawny but not starved. They looked hardly older than six moons. Sproutleaf wondered how Barkstar could let them be apprentices already.

"Halt, intruder!" The light ginger tom hissed.

The dappled gray lashed out with her paw.

Dandelioneyes towered over them. "My name is Dandelioneyes of WindClan. I am the medicine cat and I must speak with Bluetail and Littlepaw."

The two ThunderClan cats looked up at Sproutleaf suspiciously. "Who are you?" The gray one mewed.

"Sproutleaf. Deputy of WindClan." She answered proudly.

"Gee, Sunkit, we should let them into camp..." The little she-cat mewed.

"SunKIT?" Dandelioneyes growled. "You're kits?"

"No, I'm Sunpaw!" He yowled. "Treekit- er, Treepaw is just kidding."

Sproutleaf sighed. She looked over at the medicine cat. Should they have the kits fetch them warriors, or just go to the camp themselves?

"Come on," The ginger she-cat said. "Lead the way, Sun...paw."

The two kits scrambled over each other and argue who was going to lead the two intruders. "I am older, so I should lead the hostages to camp."

"By one moon." The dappled kit muttered.

Sproutleaf shook her head as the amusing kits lashed out at each other while heading back to their camp. A wall of thicket penetrated by a tunnel of winding gorse stood before them. Sproutleaf felt her hopes rise, as if it were StarClan's camp, ready to give their Clan healing supplies and food.

The two kits burst through the tunnel. On the other side, they could hear scared, worried, and angry yowls. The two WindClanners cautiously went through the gorse tunnel.

"Attack!" The ThunderClan deputy, Brokenleg, yowled.

Sproutleaf and Dandelioneyes cringed and turned away, ready for a fatal blow on their frail bodies.


	2. Chapter 2

Early Morning Frost: Chapter Two- Prologue 2

* * *

The black she-cat pounced with outstretched paws. Despite her name, all four of her legs were perfectly fine. Sproutleaf tucked her head in just as the deputy was about to land on her.

A blue flash blocked Brokenleg. Sproutleaf and Dandelioneyes peeked through their fur. It was Bluepelt, the medicine cat.

"Brokenleg," The blue tom glared at her. "This is the WindClan deputy and medicine cat."

The she-cat dipped her head. "Please accept my apologize. I am sorry." Brokenleg meowed bitterly. She lifted a paw to her muzzle and coughed a little.

Bluepelt lifted their chins. His eyes were wide with worry. "Leaf-bare is a cruel and tough season." He murmured. "But, WindClan must be..."

"Starving." Dandelioneyes finished his sentence. "Many cats have died from starvation alone. Many more from sickness. All of our kits have died."

"Your kits?" The blue tom mewed. "You poor helpless cats..."

Sproutleaf couldn't muster a growl. They really were helpless. She swallowed her WindClan proudness.

"We need borage." The ginger she-cat continued. "We have three litters on the way."

Bluepelt nodded and touched his tail to her bony body. "Of course I will help you. All of the Clans are struggling, but WindClan truly needs ThunderClan."

He turned around to the cats that gathered around them. Sproutleaf looked at the queens who gazed at them with huge, sympathetic eyes. Their kits were alive.

"Barkstar." The tom addressed the brown tabby leader. "We must help WindClan now."

The furry tom made his way through to the starving she-cats. "I have never seen such hungry cats..."

"But, Barkstar," Brokenleg argued. "ThunderClan is hungry and sick as well!" She coughed some more. Her chest heaved. She was sick.

The tabby glared at the she-cat. He sweeped his tail at the Clan. "Our bones do not stick out like rocks from water. Our stomachs growl, but we are not dying. Indeed, we have some coughs, but WindClan is under StarClan's paw just as we are. It is a chance to prove ourselves to StarClan. We are helping WindClan. No arguements."

Brokenleg slinked away embarrassed. Her coughs got softer as she left them be.

"Thank you, Barkstar." Sproutleaf sighed in relief.

"Please," Bluepelt nudged them. "Come to my den and rest."

A small gray she-cat pulled on Sproutleaf's tail. "This way."

They went through ferns and came into a cozy den filled with dry, shriveled medicine. Littlepaw helped the two WindClanners into her and Bluepelt's moss nests.

"There isn't much," Bluepelt sighed as he put borage leaves into a beech leaf package. "But it is most of what I have left."

Littlepaw watched him closely as he wrapped up the package.

"I wish I had an apprentice like you, Littlepaw." Dandelioneyes mewed with a heavy heart.

Sproutleaf looked down at her scrawny paws. With the sickness, starvation, and cold, WindClan's medicinal apprentice died.

Bluepelt hesitated. Littlepaw looked up confused. "Um, Littlepaw, do you remember Breezepaw?"

"Yes," She mewed cautiously.

"Um, he died right after the last Gathering." The ginger she-cat told her.

Sproatleaf groaned. The next Gathering was in a few days. Their Clan was hardly able to get to Fourtrees last moon. This time they might not be able to. The strongest warriors of their Clan could hardly twitch a whisker.

Bluepelt nuzzled Littlepaw with his nose. "It happens." He sighed. "Why don't you go fetch these two some prey?"

"Okay." Littlepaw said blankly. She left the den and padded through the frozen ferns.

"I'm going to go ask Barkstar if..." The blue tom explained as he padded out of his den.

"If what?" Dandelioneyes called out after him.

She sighed and laid her head down.

"I'm sorry about Breezepaw." Sproutleaf said.

"It happens." The starved medicine cat replied, her eyes closed.

Littlepaw brushed pass the ferns and dragged a rabbit into the den. Snow clung to her fur.

"Um, Brokenleg said I was only allowed to bring one piece of prey here..." Littlepaw dropped the rabbit. She shuffled her paws along the earth. "Sorry..."

"Littlepaw," Dandelioneyes said sternly. "Never be sorry for anything. You are a medicine cat, if only just an apprentice."

The gray she-cat brightened up. She pushed the cold prey between the two she-cats. Sproutleaf's stomach had become numb with hunger, but now she felt the big claws of starvation tearing up her belly. They ate the thin rabbit like the way a badger eats a cat.

Bluepelt came into the den. His tail lashed behind him excitedly. "I spoke to Barkstar. He is sending warriors into the forest to catch prey to bring to WindClan."

Sproutleaf raised her head and licked her jaws. "No! That is ThunderClan food. We could never accept such a gift."

"He won't take no for an answer." Bluepelt meowed happily as he sat down next to Littlepaw. He looked down at his apprentice. "Prepare five packages of traveling herbs. Use only sorrel and burnet."

"Okay." The apprentice mewed. She wandered around the den looking at the small supply of herbs. She picked through it carefully.

"Traveling herbs?" Sproutleaf asked aloud.

"To get you back to WindClan." The tom explained as he watched his apprentice struggle to find the burnet fronds.

"Five packets is a lot, Bluepelt." Dandelioneyes yawned as she curled up in the moss.

_We're getting too comfy in ThunderClan,_ Sproutleaf thought to herself.

"It's for your Clanmates. All the prey we catch won't be enough, so if they all eat some of these, they won't get so hungry." Bluepelt said.

Dandelioneyes curled up. She swept her tail over the ground and felt leaves and berries with her tail. Sproutleaf watched her point her tail at a pile of fronds.

Littlepaw giggled and picked them up.

Bluepelt purred but gave her a suspicious glare.

"We are ready when you are." Brokenleg poked her head in though the ferns, announcing to the cats.

The ginger she-cat sighed. Her roaring belly ached as she lifted her bony frame from the nest. Sproutleaf stood up and tried to act strong. She didn't want Brokenleg to find any more weaknesses in WindClan.

They went into the clearing. Snow was starting to pile up thickly. Brokenleg led the two WindClanners to a group of warriors. Bluepelt and Littlepaw waved their tails in farewell from the den.

A dark brown tabby tom held a big rabbit in his jaws. Sproutleaf watched him amusedly as he silently showed off his strength and young, lean body to a tortoiseshell she-cat who carried two birds.

Sproutleaf walked in step with Brokenleg who stifled her coughs as they traveled through ThunderClan territory. She could hardly keep up.

"Can you slow down a little?" Dandelioneyes asked through the big bundle of leaves in her mouth.

"What, you can't keep up?" The black she-cat smirked.

"No, and you better slow down right now before I collapse!" The ginger growled. "How is Barkstar going to act when you failed your mission to deliver us, the medicine, and the prey back to WindClan?"

Brokenleg flattened her ears and growled inwardly, but slowed down for the two frail WindClanners.


	3. Chapter 3

Early Morning Frost: Chapter 3- Prologue 3

* * *

The group of warriors stopped at the border. The prey hung in their jaws tightly; the ThunderClan warriors did not want to share their fresh-kill, but it was Barkstar's order.

Sproutleaf looked down at the frozen ground and shook snow off her whiskers. "A patrol is not coming by."

"Oh, really?" Brokenleg mewed mockingly.

"Yes." The gray she-cat meowed calmly. But that was how weak WindClan really was. Her Clanmates were decimated by starvation, disease, and the bitter coldness that fluctuated during leaf-bare.

They trudged through the snow, and the icy wind bit at their pelts. Sproutleaf and Dandelioneyes collapsed in the cold snow. Brokenleg growled. She ordered two of the warriors to drag them while she carried some of the prey.

Sproutleaf felt herself being pulled through gorse. The world was white, but it turned dark as they brought her into the medicine den.

* * *

The warriors returned to their territory with Brokenleg after gifting the Clan with fresh-kill and herbs. Sproutleaf and Dandelioneyes dimly heard the quiet celebration in the clearing from the medicine den.

Wolfstar limped into the den. "You did well. You saved us." He dipped his head respectfully to the she-cats.

The two she-cats purred slightly before curling up to sleep. He tilted his head as Sproutleaf closed her eyes. Wolfstar tucked some brown grass around them to keep them warm. He licked Sproutleaf's matted fur until she started to whack him with her tail. He padded back into the clearing. A pile of fresh-kill was under the Tallrock, and the Clan was gathering around it.

The three queens were the first to eat; they gobbled up a big share of the prey. No cat complained one bit. The elders refused their share and passed it on to the apprentices who took care of them in the last cold days.

The oldest elder, who was supposed to be the next to eat, spoke in a hoarse voice. "I cannot last much longer. Leaf-bare is stronger than ever now. I am getting sick. If I eat, I will be off worse. I can hear StarClan calling me." Fieldsprint put her paw down and passed the squirrel over to Figpaw.

"But," The gray tom scuffed his paws.

"Please," The white she-cat with gray spots leaned down into the apprentices face. "I guarantee you that if I eat this, it will be a waste. In less than a quarter moon, I may be joining the ranks of Silverpelt."

"Don't say that." Figpaw pleaded to his grand-queen.

"Eat it." The elder growled warmly.

The tom nodded slightly and bit into the squirrel.

The old queen purred and looked at Graypaw. "You eat, too."

Wolfstar watched as the she-cat apprentice reluctantly joined Figpaw. He knew Graypaw, as well as the other apprentices, disliked Figpaw. He kept himself from laughing as Fieldsprint purred. The leader realized that the Clan hadn't been this joyous in seasons, despite the snow that clung to there whiskers and the clawing feeling in their bellies. The warriors waited until the apprentices had eaten. Usually, it was the warriors who ate before them.

Grasstail picked up a bird and padded over to Wolfstar. Her pretty pelt was dull with the light of the snow. She looked up at him expectantly.

"Oh, no thank you, Grasstail." Wolfstar looked away, embarrassed.

"Please, Wolfstar." The young she-cat meowed. "If you eat last, there will be no more."

"I'm fine with that." He shrugged slightly.

Grasstail took a bite of the bird. She pushed it over with her paw.

He gazed absently at the brown patches of fur that covered parts of her white pelt. Her green eyes were shining with happiness. She lifted herself up and licked his noise.

Wolfstar mewed surprised. She purred with amusement.

"Come on, Wolfstar." Grasstail encouraged him.

"Oh, all right. If you insist..." He leaned down and took a bite.

She took a bite, and then he took his turn.

Sproutleaf licked the scraps of prey from her muzzle and stepped outside of Dandelioneyes' den. Her heart felt like it was clawed out.

She reached a paw out, as if petting the air. "Wolfstar..."

"They're coming!" Two unison yowls peirced the chilly air.

The ginger medicine cat burst out of her den. "Everybody! We need to keep the coming kits warm!"

The Clan turned their head and nodded. The elders filed into the big nursery den. They surrounded the queens and mewed encouraging words.

Dandelioneyes grabbed her herbs and rushed past Sproutleaf and Wolfstar.

Grasstail mewed happily. "Kits! Oh, we need more of those."

She brushed past Wolfstar. He smiled and purred as the she-cat went to sit by the nursery with the Clan. The arrival of these kits were the most important, not to say they were golden of course.

Wolfstar followed Dandelioneyes into the nursery. It was cramped, but warm. The two queens yowled to StarClan as pain rippled through their bodies. He clenched his jaw as the heart-breaking pain pierced the muffled air.

Fieldsprint chuckled. "Kitting is the most natural thing. She-cats have been giving birth since the ancients."

The tom gulped and nodded.

Dandelioneyes scrambled madly between the two queens. Wolfstar thanked Barkstar silently for the herbs he sent with them.

Finally, both of the queens were hushed. Brightfur, a tawny she-cat, whimpered as she licked her kit. The second one was dead. Featherfang, the two-toned gray queen, licked her three scrawny, brown kits. The third queen helped Featherfang lick her litter. Dandelioneyes cleaned up the den.

Wolfstar looked at the dead kit sadly. The dark brown warrior Blackbreeze shouldered his way through into the nursery and sat by Brightfur. Wolfstar gave the gaunt-but-ecstatic tom a nod before leaving the burrow. No tom stepped forward for Featherfang.

He padded around the snowy camp. The cats started to retreat back into the small dens as more flurries fell from the sky.

The four apprentices looked up at the leader as he passed. He looked around anxiously. Wolfstar assumed they were waiting for instructions. "Um... Your assignments are to take care of the queens."

Pinkpaw, Thornpaw, Graypaw, and Figpaw exchanged glances.

"What?" Wolfstar hid his bony ribs with his tail.

Pinkpaw stood up on her back legs and whispered into his ear. "Grasstail is watching you."

"And so is Sproutleaf." Thornpaw murmured.

"Carry on." Wolfstar hissed friendifully.

The four apprentices mrrowed with laughter. But Wolfstar felt happy, too. The Clan was in high spirits!

"Wolfstar," A shy mew called out to him.

He expected to see Grasstail, but it was Spotpelt, the third queen. "What now?"

"What do you mean, Spotpelt?"

"ThunderClan brought us prey and herbs," She mewed. She flicked her paws as snow clung like burrs. "But we've eaten the food and used the herbs."

Wolfstar nodded. "Do not worry, Spotpelt."

The queen looked down at her paws and padded away. Her belly looked like a big bubble on top of twigs. The Clan needed more fresh-kill. Soon.

A silver cat, a golden cat, and a dusty calico she-cat, sat by the Tallrock and watched Wolfstar silently.

"Anything I can do for you three?" Wolfstar looked down at the young, skinny warriors.

Silvertooth flattened his ears, Goldenfang closed her eyes, and Twofur shook her head.

Wolfstar nodded curtly and padded away. Those three sure were strange.

He padded to a small hole surrounded by gorse in a quiet spot of the camp. He settled down and put a paw over his roaring stomach.

Suddenly, a huge pain bit at his body. Wolfstar cringed and curled up, moaning in pain.

"You are losing a life." A starry queen said. She put a paw on his stomach and pushed him back to the earth.


	4. Chapter 4

Early Morning Frost: Chapter 4- Prologue 4

* * *

Just a few days after ThunderClan shared their provisions with WindClan, the Clan was hungry again, even more than before. Sproutleaf sat on the Tallrock looking down at her Clanmates. They walked around looking like skeletons. But she knew there was no way the other Clans would share any more prey or hunting grounds. They weren't in any condition to hunt, anyway.

She looked up at the sky as it turned darker. A ring of moonlight was glowing from behind the wall of clouds that began to move out of the way. Tonight was the Gathering. Looking back down at the Clan, she knew that only a small pawful could make it to Fourtrees.

"Sproutleaf," Wolfstar called out to her quietly from under the Tallrock.

She jumped down and felt a jolt through her bones. "What is it, Wolfstar?"

He flicked his tail and padded to the other side of the Tallrock, so she followed him. His yellow eyes, which were bright just a few days before, were now dull.

"I lost another life," He whispered.

Sproutleaf sat back on her haunches. "From what?"

Wolfstar looked up at the sky angrily. "Starvation. I have four lives left."

Sproutleaf held in a sigh and padded away, not knowing what to say.

* * *

"The cats going to the Gathering tonight are..." Wolfstar looked down at the cats, looking for the ones who were strongest.

"Figpaw, Pinkpaw, Silvertooth, Goldenfang... Snowclaw... Stripedfoot..." He looked down at the cats. There were so few gathered around the Tallrock. Wolfstar looked around for Sproutleaf and Dandelioneyes.

"I am fit for the Gathering!" The ginger medicine cat shouted as she hobbled over.

He nodded. "And Sproutleaf?"

"Oh, she is not well enough. She is very weak." The she-cat sighed.

Wolfstar frowned. "Well, we need a deputy to come to the Gathering."

Fallentree, brown tabby warrior, and Gentlevoice, a gray tabby tom looked up expectantly.

"...Our deputy, for this one night, will be Grasstail." The leader finally said.

The two toms looked down at their paws and licked their chest fur. The surprised she-cat padded up to the Tallrock.

"Thank you, Wolfstar! What an honor," She purred.

Sproutleaf was watching from the medicine burrow. She growled and went back in. Wolfstar took no notice of it.

* * *

The small group of WindClan cats went to Fourtrees with Grasstail as their deputy. They were the last to arrive. The cats merged into the group, happy to have the snow already treaded on.

Grasstail sat proudly by the other three deputies.

Icefall questioned the temporary deputy. "Did Sproutleaf die?"

"No," Grasstail meowed plainly.

"Then why isn't she here?" The white and gray tom asked.

"Because." She looked away, proud that she didn't reveal any secrets to the ThunderClanner. "Hey, where's Brokenleg?"

But then Foamstar and Mudstar, RiverClan and ShadowClan leaders, leaped over them and stood on the Great Rock. They stared gaping at Wolfstar as WindClan settled down between the other cats in Fourtrees.

"What?" Wolfstar hissed at the other leaders' staring eyes as he joined them.

"Nothing." Foamstar looked away.

"Everybody, quiet!" Barkstar yowled.

The four Clans quieted down. Wolfstar looked at the faces of the Clan cats illuminated by the moonlight. They were all staring at the scrawny WindClanners.

Foamstar stepped forward. He sighed as he gave his honest report. "The river is frozen, but a big patch still runs freely. There is plenty of fish and RiverClan has been well-fed this leaf-bare. We have a new queen and a new apprentice, Shinypaw." He sat down and looked up at the moon after glancing at Wolfstar's spine that stuck out grossly.

When the cheering of the Clan quieted down, Mudstar glanced warily at Wolfstar. "It has been very cold in ShadowClan. We lost three kits to the cold and starvation." A few sympatheitc murmurs wrippled through the crowds. "One of our elders has joined StarClan..." Mudstar sighed. "Prey is scarce, so we have turned to eating from the carrionplace."

A few gloomy mews came from some of the elders. "In our days, prey never turned against us." One of the elders meowed.

The brown she-cat shook her pelt and sat down.

Barkstar stepped forward. "ThunderClan has enough prey to get us through leaf-bare. The snow has made it tough to hunt, though. We have a new medicine cat apprentice. Littlepaw."

Littlepaw scuffed the snow around. Bluepelt raised his chin proudly.

"There isn't much news from ThunderClan, except that we..." The tabby trailed off and swished his tail at Wolfstar.

"WindClan is less than good. Two of our elders have died. All of our kits starved. Five of our warriors have joined StarClan. There is no prey on the upperlands." The gaunt leader announced.

"ThunderClan has given WindClan food and herbs." The tabby leader added. "But, Wolfstar, we can do no more."

"I understand." Wolfstar looked down at his paws. "Oh, we have a few more litters coming."

The gathered cat mewed their congrats softly.

Mudstar kneaded the stone with her claws. "Gathering dismissed."

* * *

"Do you think we'll get through this, Wolfstar?" Grasstail asked, touching the leader's bony ribs with her tail.

"...StarClan will light our way through this darkness." Wolfstar replied.

Dandelioneyes trudged through the snow slowly. If new-leaf didn't come soon, the Clan would wither and maybe disappear forever. She stared at the ground as she walked. Her limbs ached with each movement. If she wasn't careful, WindClan might not have a medicine cat much longer.

She sighed and shivered as they walked on. Even a small journey across their territory was perilous.

Suddenly, something caught Dandelioneye's attention. A tiny green plant was sprouting from the snow, tucked between the stones around Lookout Rock. She waved her tail and immediately ran over to the sprout.

It was omen. They would make it. Even if only one cat was left standing.

* * *

Spotpelt looked outside. Dandelioneyes had announced that StarClan had sent her an omen soon after the Gathering a half moon ago. A single sprout leaf pushed through the snow and showed that the Clan would be okay. She put a paw over her belly and closed her eyes.

As if on cue, she felt the kits start to kick. "Ah!" She cringed.

A nearby warrior ran over to her. "What's wrong?" Grasstail asked.

Spotpelt crouched down. "My kits are coming..."

"Oh!" The warrior scrambled across the clearing. She came back to the kitting queen. "Dandelioneyes left for the Moonstone already."

"Ughh..." The queen gasped. "Get Stripedfoot, please."

The she-cat brought the tom to her.

"Oh, Spotpelt!" Stripedfoot nuzzled his mate.

Spotpelt buried her face in his bony shoulder. The Clan had gone to sleep now. Only Grasstail, Stripedfoot, and the two other queens were awake as she began to kit.

"Get her in here." Featherfang hissed from the darkness of the nursery.

"Yes, it is too cold out there." Brightfur added softly.

Grasstail and Stripedfoot dragged Spotpelt into the den. The queen panted heavily.

"Do not worry," Brightfur mewed. "It is easy. Just breath in and out."

Spotpelt nodded vigorously. She moved her mouth in wide motions as she tried to catch her breath. Stripedfoot stood frozen as he watched his mate's belly rise and fall.

"Don't just stand there!" Featherfang hissed.

The tom leaped to the side of his mate and tried to lick her soothingly. Brightfur passed her kit over to Featherfang and sat next to Spotpelt.

"Look at me." The calico queen mewed. "I have done this twice now. Listen to me and you will be alright."

"Okay!" Spotpelt whimpered.

"When you feel them pushing, you push, too." The experienced she-cat said calmly.

Stripedfoot squealed as Spotpelt bit into his scruff. Her body rippled with pain. Her screams to StarClan were muffled by the warrior's fur.

"Oh!" Dandelioneyes appeared at the entrance. Her silhouette was glowing with the stars. Her narrow, green eyes were wide.

"Back from the Moonstone," Grasstail murmured.

"Isn't it still dusk?" Spotpelt hissed as she cringed.

"No," The medicine cat replied to the kitting queen. "The midnight moon is low in the sky."

Stripedfoot flopped over unconscious as the first bundle fell from Spotpelt.


	5. Chapter 5

Early Morning Frost: Chapter 5

I lifted up my head and tried to listen to the sounds around me. It felt like my ears felt full with fluff. As I tried to get a grip on my surroundings, I started to get nervous. I wasn't in the same place anymore. My close-thing was gone! It was sharp feeling out here, too.

For awhile, I felt drained and unable to do a thing. I laid down on the cold, hard solid under me. Something moved up and down on me with swift movements. I could see bright things moving towards me. Then, I felt warm again. I squealed at the sensations. Big sounds were above me...

"Hey," Something whispered to me.

I moved around. "Hi," I said back, trying to understand the sound.

"Come over here." It told me.

I shuffled around. I tried to follow the sound, and then a big thing landed near me. I squealed in fear. What was it? It almost squished me! Suddenly, I wasn't feeling the solidness underneath me. I felt something lifting me, but there was just nothingness below me now. I kicked and thrashed around to get away. Whatever it was might hurt me!

But then I was set down on the... the ground. I felt something rub against me. It was... furry.

"Hey," It was the same sound again, but much closer. "Eat."

I was still for a moment, trying to understand what eating was. I turned my head around. There was a... smell! It smelled soft and sweet. I realized it was in front of me. I pressed forward. Something soft and warm leaned into me. Or, I leaned into it. It wasn't the thing that made noise. Maybe it was another noise-maker?

I instinctively opened my mouth and pushed my paws in the warm thing in front of me. This was eating. A warm, yummy liquid filled me up. Whatever it was, it made me feel better. I suppose his big warm thing can be something I should stay with.

I heard lots of sounds after that. More sound-makers. One sounded very... ragged. I had heard the sound many times before. Then a soothing sound came... from the warm thing!

"Sister," The noise-maker next to me said.

"What?"

It sat next to me. "We are sisters."

"Okay."

I laid down on the sound-maker. Then a familiar darkness came over me. I realized that this sound-maker was my missing close-thing. It was my very own... sister. But at the same time, I felt like I was missing something. Like it was as I had once had more than just this close-thing. There were more than just my sister and I...?

* * *

"I was worried there for a moment." The medicine cat sighed.

"They'll be fine, right?" Spotpelt asked tiredly.

"Yes," Dandelioneyes nodded. "You did good, Spotpelt."

The queen simply laid her head down by her two scrawny kits. She curled her paws up and fell asleep. Stripedfoot fluffed up and rushed over to his mate's side.

"Spotpelt! Don't go!" He meowed.

"I'm tryin' to sleep, mouse-brain!" The queen hissed.

Dandelioneyes rolled her eyes. "Keep an eye on the kits, Stripedfoot. Make sure they eat. Spotpelt is going to be tired, naturally."

"Can do, Dandelioneyes!" The tom nodded.

Spotpelt purred and went back to sleep. The medicine cat chuckled as she left the burrow back into the frosty camp. The dawn sun began to peek through the horizon. She padded to the fresh-kill pile. A few measly rabbits were laid down on a rock. She knew that the Clan worked so hard to just get a few morsels, but she was famished.

The ginger grabbed the smallest rabbit and took off to her burrow. With each step, her tired bones jolted.

"Hey, Dandelioneyes." Wolfstar called out to her from under a gorse bush.

"Oh," She hid the bunny and padded over to him. "Yes, Wolfstar?"

The WindClan leader yawned. "The Moonstone?"

"Ah, yes." The she-cat nodded. "StarClan showed me something. It was not a prophecy, no."

Wolfstar blinked as the medicine cat answered the question on his tongue.

"But I saw an image of the farmplace and the ShadowClan camp." She told him, not knowing what StarClan had tried to tell her.

"Okay." The leader curled up and waved her away.

Dandelioneyes took a good look at him before retrieving her rabbit and going into her medicine store. The Clan was getting healthier, and new-leaf was coming soon.

* * *

"Have you decided for names yet?" Stripedfoot asked Spotpelt.

The gray and white queen yawned. She looked down at her two she-kits who slept soundly tucked under her belly. They were both white with black splashes. They would look out of place in the Clan when they grew.

"Well," The queen tilted her head from side to side. "Why don't you choose."

"Okay." The tom sat down and wrapped his tail around his paws. "How about Spottedkit for the bigger one. After you of course!"

How sweet, Spotpelt thought. "For the other one, Specklekit. So their names match!"

"Great." Stripedfoot touched his bony paws to the kits fuzzy ears. "They are so cute."

Spottedkit and Specklekit squirmed and mewed.

* * *

"Spotted-kit and Speckle-kit." My sound-maker mewed, amazingly repeating what the bigger sound-maker said. "I think I am Spottedkit and you are Specklekit. That's what I think it said anyway."

"Okay. I am Specklekit." I nodded to my sister.

"Those sound-makers sure talk a lot. Too bad I do not know a word they say!" Spottedkit said.

I nodded in agreement. "Yes."

"Let us try to talk to them." Spottedkit said determinedly.

"Okay."

"HEY! HEY! HEY!" The female kit yowled. "Hey! Over here!"

"One of them is coming close!" I squealed.

The big sound-maker come down really close to Spottedkit. I heard her fuzzies being ruffled. Then it came to ruffle my fuzzies, too. It felt okay but it was too fast. It turned us around and the food-things were pushed on our faces. But I wasn't hungry.

I turned my head up at the sound-maker and hissed. Spottedkit copied me. Then the sound-makers made lots of noise. I fell on top of my sister as the warm thing we are always next to started to move.

"I guess yelling does not help." Spottedkit sighed.

"Maybe it would be easier if we could... I do not know... I only can... There is darkness in front of me, yet I can feel things I can not..." I trailed off.

"See." My sister finished my sentence.

"Yes, see is the right word. I can not see." I sighed.

Spottedkit rubbed against me. " I can not see either."

"Do you think we can see? Like, if we try?" I asked her. She was smart. She seemed to know everything about this sharp feeling world.

"Yes, I think we can try." She meowed.

"On the count of..." I tried to think of what the words are.

"Numbers... One two and three." Spottedkit said.

"Okay. On three. One... two... three!


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you for the reviews~ I started crying! They were so nice \(^o^)/ **

**This chapter makes me sad.**

* * *

Early Morning Frost: Chapter 6

* * *

Specklekit and Spottedkit stood at the entrance of the nursery. Quailkit, Mudkit, Birdkit, and Fuzzykit were hiding in the nooks and crannies of the burrow.

"One, two, three!" Spottedkit mewed with her paws over her eyes.

The two sisters hopped up and looked down into the burrow. Where oh where could their denmates be hiding?

Specklekit crept in slowly. "Come out, Fuzzykit. Where are you, Birdkit?"

"I'm right here!" Birdkit cried from inside a pile of dry grass.

Specklekit giggled. She moved the grass out of the way. The three brown toms were huddled together.

"Birdkit! You gave us away." Mudkit growled.

"Mouse-brain." Quailkit hissed, lashing his tail.

Birdkit gave them an apologetic smile. "Sorry,"

"All we have to find now is Fuzzykit." Spottedkit said, padding up to them with twitching whiskers.

Grasstail watched the kits play around happily. Four moons old and full of spirit! The queen couldn't wait for her own kits to be born. She knew by the size of her big belly that there could three or four in her litter.

"We can find her by her scent." Spottedkit suggested.

Specklekit shrugged. "I only smell us."

"Then we have to find the scent trail of us that isn't next to us." Her sister explained.

Specklekit nodded. Her sister was always so tactiful. The three toms sat around watching the she-kits track down the last kit. The sisters sat at the entrance of the nursery, then worked their way back in. They followed a tiny little scent trail that led to Grasstail. The queen had a mischievous look in her eyes as her chin pointed upward.

Specklekit crawled over her flank. The little calico she-kit looked up with a sly cattish-smile.

"You found me." Fuzzykit meowed.

"Fuzzykit wins!" Spottedkit yowled.

The six kits then all sat at the entrance of the nursery. Their game of hide-and-seek was over and now deemed as boring.

"Why do we have to sleep in this burrow?" Birdkit asked aloud. "I mean, the rest of the Clan sleeps in the sand, under the gorse, and pretty much just under the stars."

"I don't know." Fuzzykit sighed.

Quailkit sneezed at them. "It's because we need to be in one spot all the time so they know where we are. It's lame."

Spottedkit nudged her sister. "Why don't we go play by the Tallrock?"

"I don't know if that's a good idea..." Specklekit said. "We shouldn't go farther than the prey-pile from here."

"Lame." Quailkit held up his paw to his muzzle and coughed.

"Am not." She flattened her ears.

"Then come on!" Spottedkit yowled.

The kitty band thundered through the camp and raced to the Tallrock.

"I'll beat you there!" Quailkit mewed.

"No way!" Mudkit growled. "I will!"

"I won the last game," Fuzzykit reminded them. "I'll win this race."

They ran up to the Tallrock, the place where ceremonies were held. Quailkit made a big leap just as Specklekit was about to touch it with her paw. The brown tom crashed into it.

"I win!" He yelled triumphiantly, with the world spinning around him. "I am the fastest WindClanner of them all!"

"Good job, sister." Spottedkit whispered to Specklekit between heavy breaths.

"Hey," Featherfang growled, looming over the kits. "Aren't you all supposed to be in the nursery with Grasstail?"

The kits all shrunk down under the queen's critical gaze.

The white queen hissed under her breath. "You need to stay in the nursery because you-"

"Need to be in one spot all the time so you know where we are." Quailkit finished her sentence. "That's lame."

Specklekit looked down at her paws. Why was he talking back to his mother?

Featherfang growled and scooped him up. Specklekit gulped as she roughly threw him into a gorse and towered over him, barking harsh words.

He walked back over to them, his leg slightly trailing behind him.

"Are you okay, Quailkit?" The calico asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, mouse-brain." He hissed.

"Hey, don't take it out on Fuzzykit." Spottedkit murmured.

Specklekit looked up at the brown tom. There was tiny scratches all over his legs. "Are you-"

"I'm tired of this place." Quailkit spat. "Let's get outta here. Outta camp."

"Good idea." His brothers agreed.

"Are you she-cats mouse-hearts, or are you comin' with?" He asked daringly to the three female kits.

"We're just as brave as you toms." Fuzzykit smiled slyly.

The six of them snuck around the Tallrock and dashed for the gorse entrance. They tumbled through in the open moorland. Instead of hard-packed sand, there was swaying grass under their paws. The sister's blue eyes were huge with the open expanse stretching out to the forest. A big rock far-off in the distance jutted from the grass.

"Race you to that." Quailkit said in a light sigh.

"Like we could run that far." Fuzzykit growled.

Mudkit pointed his paw out. "How about to those flowers over there."

"It's called heather, mouse-brain." Quailkit muttered.

"I don't think it's a good idea." Specklekit murmured.

Spottedkit nudged her sister. "We have to show him we are just as brave!"

"This isn't brave. This is dumb." Specklekit countered.

"Spottedkit," Quailkit called to her. "Count those number things and then we race to the heather."

The white and black she-kit nodded. "Okay. On three. One, two, three!"

The six kittens tore through the grass with the open sky above them. Quailkit was in the lead. Mudkit and Spottedkit were right behind him. Fuzzykit was on their tails. Specklekit and Birdkit trotted after them.

"Whoever wins gets to boss everyone around for the next moon!" Quailkit yowled.

"Agh!" Fuzzykit pounded her paws to catch up and try to win the race.

Quailkit leaped with out-stretched paws. Specklekit giggled as Spottedkit tumbled over to try to roll into first place.

"HAWK!" Birdkit screeched.

A giant shadow flew over the kits. Their eyes popped huge as the brown bird screamed from above them.

"Run!" Spottedkit yowled.

Quailkit and Spottedkit turned on their heels and ran the other way. Fuzzykit ran past Specklekit as she tried to understand her surroundings.

"Come on," Birdkit hissed and pushed her.

They sprinted back towards the camp. Specklekit felt a swoop of air rush past her. They pressed on. A surge of warriors filed out of the camp.

Specklekit tripepd over her paws and landed on her back in the grass. She watched the bird fly right past her whiskers. It veered up back into the blue sky. In its clenched talons was a small brown mass with wide yellow eyes.

"Birdkit!" She screeched.

The hawk flapped its big wings preparing for another dive. It zipped towards her, with its free talons outstretched. A slew of warriors blocked her body. The bird cooed angrily and, with Birdkit still in its clutches, clumsily flapped over the cat's heads, slapping them with its powerful wings.

Specklekit flipped over as the warriors rushed after the hawk.

Finally, the bird was fed up and content with its catch. Featherfang, who fled from the camp as it took away her kit, pierced the air with such an uncatlike screech. It banged on the kit's ear drums with force.

A second brown kit was carried off by the predator.

"Mudkit!" Quailkit raced after the bird.

Sproutleaf leapt on the kit before the hawk could chage its mind and try for a third meal. Specklekit felt bile rise from her throat as her two denmates flew above the moors.


	7. Chapter 7

Early Morning Frost: Chapter 7

* * *

The night sky was bright. The stars of Silverpelt looked fuller. Two cats had joined their ranks. The wind that billowed across the moorland howled above the camp, buffeting the strong gray cat that stood on the tall stone above the Clan.

Specklekit and Spottedkit sat gathered beneath the Tallrock with the rest of the Clan. They kept their eyes to the ground as Wolfstar spoke. Stripedfoot and Spotpelt sat behind them, but didn't comfort them at all.

"Today we have lost two of our own. Mudkit and Birdkit." The leader sighed. "They were playful and would have made great warriors."

Specklekit felt her heart rip as she looked up to see Silverpelt blazing behind Wolfstar. A black figure soar in the sky covering stars at it flew. She looked up at it as it got bigger. Specklekit squeaked in fear. Wolfstar looked down at her. She felt her father's tail whip her mouth.

"Sorry..." The kit mewed. With one glance back up at the starry sky, the black thing got smaller and farther away.

The leader started again. "May this be a lesson," Wolfstar meowed. "for kits to obey the code... Kits are not allowed to leave camp. Tonight some of us shall sit vigil for Mudkit and Birdkit."

Since they were just kits, not most of the Clan knew them. Specklekit, Spottedkit, Fuzzykit, and Quailkit sat with their parents to hold the vigil. The two sisters stared at the sand in their parents' paws. It felt like it was their fault the two brown toms died. Maybe it was.

"This is all your fault, Quailkit." Specklekit heard a queen hiss. She perked her ears as a cat broke their vigil.

"No, it's not." She heard a kit argue.

"Yes, everything is your fault. Your brothers are dead because of you." Featherfang mewed harshly into her son's ear.

"Shush, we are holding a vigil." Quailkit muttered to his mother.

Specklekit looked up at Stripedfoot. He had his eyes closed and his ears were flat.

"I'll never forgive you." Featherfang said to her son. "Nor will your brothers. No one will ever trust you, you mouse-dung excuse for a cat."

"Shut up!" The brown kit leaped from his mother's paws. His mew rung through the camp and seemed to rustle the gorse as a breeze blew over the walls. "It's not my fault!"

The Clan raised their heads as the two cats broke vigil for their kin. Featherfang swiped a paw over her muzzle to smooth the fur around her nose.

"I never said it was, son." The queen corrected him loudly. She flicked her ears and dug her claws into the sand.

Quailkit growled as his mother lied through her whiskers. Even Specklekit felt a growl rise from within.

"It," Featherfang meowed loudly. "is your father's fault that you toms are so stupid!"

"I don't even know who my father is!" The kit squeaked.

Specklekit snuggled into her father's gray pelt. A queen didn't have to say who the father was, but they usually tell their kits. Of course, Blackbreeze and Stripedfoot were raising their kits with their mates. Grasstail didn't say who is fathering her litter yet, but she might tell her kits. According to the gossiping she-cat warriors, Grasstail had taken Wolfstar as her mate. But no cat could ever be sure.

Specklekit could only think of two toms who had the chance of fathering Quailkit and his brothers. Some tom who had the same pelt as them. It was either Blackbreeze, the dark brown tom, or Birdtalon, the other brown tom.

The queen whipped around and scanned the awoken cats. She hissed and pointed her paw. "Birdtalon, if you had just decided to raise these kits with me, they would never had gotten eaten by hawks!"

The tom stared at her silently from under a gorse.

"It is not his fault." Quailkit said.

The Clan was silent. Every breath collected into one beating sound. Quailkit glared furiously at each cat. Their eyes were wide and glowing in the night.

"It's your fault, Featherfang." The kit muttered before scrambling away into the darkness.

* * *

"Oh, all this stress is hurting me." Grasstail mewed with a sigh. Her big belly rose and fell with every breath she took in and pushed out.

Specklekit and Spottedkit glanced at her. "Sorry..." They said quietly.

The sisters felt like they were going to be the laughing stock of WindClan forever.

"It's nobody fault for Mudkit and Birdkit's loss." The queen meowed. "If any, it's the hawk's for being hungry."

Spotpelt licked her kit's fur as they stared guiltily at their paws. "Go to sleep you two. You stayed up all night."

They looked at each other with sad, blue eyes. Spottedkit shrugged and flopped down into her mother's belly.

"There is a lot of sound-makers out there." Specklekit whispered.

Spottedkit giggled. "Yes."

They looked down at their paws and shushed as Featherfang shot them a glare. The humiliated queen sat rigid. Her paws were kitless.

Specklekit looked around the nursery looking for Quailkit. he wasn't with Brightfur and Fuzzykit, or hiding in the corners.

"I'm gonna be a medicine cat!" The brown tom padded in proudly on cue.

Featherfang clenched her jaw. By the looks of it, Specklekit figured that she wanted her kits to be warriors like her and Birdtalon. But the queen didn't say a word. Spottedkit waved her tail to Quailkit.

He padded over to them proudly, but his eyes were still glazed with pain. Spotpelt shot a glance at Featherfang, but she let Quailkit sit with her daughters from behind the protection of her tail. Specklekit snuck a look at the lonely queen. Featherfang was clawing Spotpelt's heart out. With her eyes.

Quailkit settled down next to the sisters. After the queens finally fell asleep, Quailkit spilled everything out.

"When I ran off last night, I went straight to the nearest den, which was Dandelioneye's burrow. She held me in her paws." Specklekit could feel Quailkit get warm as he spoke. "I felt much more calm with the scents of the herbs."

"You sure have a way with words." Spottedkit muttered.

Quailkit calmly continued his story, just like Featherfang calmly humiliated herself and Quailkit the last night. "I asked her to give me thyme."

"Thyme?" Specklekit guessed it was an herb of some sort.

"Yes, it has a really nice smell. It's supposed to calm cats down." The tom explained briskly. "She asked me why I wanted that herb, and so I gave her the same explanation. Then she said I should think about being her apprentice.

"And so she asked me to name everything in her burrow I knew." He continued, which began to bore Spottedkit to StarClan. "So I pointed out the thyme, marigold leaves, goldenrod, heather stalks, and poppy."

"So you...?" Spottedkit tried to get him to the good part.

"Dandelioneyes said I should be a medicine cat. I said I would sleep on it. She let me stay in her nest last night. I didn't really want to be a medicine cat, because I'd make an awesome warrior." The brown kit wrinkled his nose. "But then I thought about my brothers. I couldn't help them..."

Specklekit saw a distant look in his eyes.

He shook his head and continued to drawl. "But with medicine, I can help cats more than I can as a warrior. So that's why I woke up with this morning knowing that I have to be a medicine cat!"

Fuzzykit looked at them from across the nursery. "Eh? What's this about a medicine cat?" Sleep drained from her eyes as she shook her head awake. Fuzzykit looked at them with curiosity.

Quailkit jumped up and padded over to her. "When I ran off last night..."

The two white and black she-kits groaned.


	8. Chapter 8

Early Morning Frost: Chapter 8

* * *

"We're finally being made warriors!" Fuzzykit mewed excitedly.

"You mean apprentices?" Specklekit mrrowed with laughter.

Fuzzykit and Quailkit turned six moons old. Wolfstar and Dandelioneyes were going to call a Clan meeting at sunhigh. The two kits squirmed with impatience.

Spottedkit sighed. "We'll be lonely without you two with us."

Quailkit licked his shoulder fur. "Grasstail is due any day now. I bet you'll have three or four new denmates."

Specklekit swiped a paw over her muzzle. "We'll be apprentices in a half moon. There won't be much time before we are sleeping in the same den again."

"Huh, I won't." The single tom reminded them. "I have to sleep in the medicine burrow."

The four kits all looked at each other. They had come closer together as if they were one litter since Mudkit and Birdkit had died and that Featherfang disowned Quailkit. Brightfur fostered the orphaned tom. Specklekit saw in each of their eyes that they all knew that things would never be the same.

"I don't want you to be a medicine cat." Spottedkit muttered.

They all swiveled around to stare at Spottedkit. Specklekit saw sadness in her sister's eyes. Was she really that fond of that snubby tom?

Suddenly, they heard in the nursery den come a soft cry. They tripped over each other to see what it was, but it was obvious. Grasstail looked up at the kits with huge green eyes.

"Get Dandelion!" The queen yowled.

Quailkit scrambled to find the medicine cat. The three she-kits padded in and sat next to the kitting queen. Fuzzykit licked Grasstail's heaving flank.

"I saw Brightfur do this with Spotpelt." Fuzzykit muttered at the two sister's puzzled faces.

The ginger medicine cat came into the den with leaves filling her muzzle. Quailkit padded in from behind her with a stick in his jaws. The kits backed up to give them space. Grasstail panted as Dandelioneyes sniffed her belly. Spotpelt and Brightfur poked their heads in the den.

"Get out kits." Spotpelt whispered. "Give them some space."

"You too Quailkit." The medicine cat said, feeding herbs to the tabby queen.

"But I need the expierence of kitting." He argued.

Dandelioneyes glared at her apprentice before pushing her paws onto Grasstail. "You are too young to witness a kitting this close."

"GET OUT!" Grasstail yowled as a huge wave of pain washed over her. "Get out, kits!"

Quailkit scowled before leaving the burrow with Fuzzykit, Spottedkit, and Specklekit. The two waiting queens comforted them. "Kitting isn't that pretty, Quailkit." Brightfur mewed to her foster son.

"Whatever." The brown tom shrugged.

"Show some respect." Fuzzykit growled at her sort-of-brother.

"Hey, you guys are related right?" Spottedkit popped a sudden question to the two kits. Brightfur and Spotpelt looked down at them quizzically.

Spottedkit huffed. "Well, Blackbreeze and Birdtalon are brothers. Fuzzykit is Blackbreeze's daughter and you're Birdtalon's son."

"I'm not his son." Quailkit muttered.

"And," Specklekit's sister continued. "That means you're cousins. You are related!"

"So?" Fuzzykit shot her a look. "What does it matter?"

"Nothing." Spottedkit scuffed her paws in the sand.

A loud yowl pierced their ear fur as Grasstail was washed over with a wave of pain. Quailkit looked down at the ground, obviously fine now that he wasn't watching the kitting with his mentor. Specklekit looked up at the sky. The sun was almost all the way to sunhigh.

"No, Specklekit," Spotpelt purred. "Their ceremony won't be held till dusk now."

"Why not?" Fuzzykit shrieked.

Brightfur flicked her tail as a gray tom rushed over to the nursery. Wolfstar peeked into the nursery. Spotpelt mrrowed with amusement.

"It's okay, Wolfstar." The queen laughed. "Grasstail is okay."

The WindClan leader mumbled something.

"Is Grasstail's kits yours, too?" Fuzzykit mewed to him.

"Huh," He looked proud in his eyes. "Yes."

The proud cringed when Grasstail screamed. Spotpelt pressed her nose to his shoulder murmuring words of comfort and assurance.

"We'll never be made apprentices." Quailkit muttered. Fuzzykit batted his face.

Specklekit on the other paw wanted to see the kitting. It must not be that bad. She climbed into the gorse that sat on either side of the burrow. The queens, leader, and kits were all exchanging glances as the kitting queen yowled once more.

Specklekit slinked into the edge of the shadow of the nursery. Spotpelt glanced and picked her kit up. "Nice try, Specklekit."

* * *

Grasstail panted. It hurt like fire on fur. Not that she knew what that felt like, but fire probably hurt a lot. Whatever Dandelioneyes gave her didn't help with the pain.

But she saw the foot of Wolfstar out the den. Grasstail felt a little better as the first kit came out.

"You're doing great, Grasstail." The ginger she-cat mewed plainly.

Grasstail could see something in her eyes that weren't good. Her heart started to race faster. Did the kit die? Suddenly, the second and third fell out. Finally, after what felt like moons, the fourth one came.

"Thank you StarClan." The tabby and white queen whispered. She felt blessed to have four kits.

Grasstail looked over at the kits. She pointed her tail at each one in turn.

Pointing at the plain gray one she named it. "Wolfkit for the gray one." Then she pointed at the silver tabby. "Stonekit for this little tabby." Then the white one with tabby gray spots that looked just like her and Fieldsprint, "Gorsekit." And for the last one which was white with solid gray splashes. "Meadowkit."

Dandleioneyes' eyes were green with worry. She whipped around as Wolfstar padded into the den with yellow eyes proud and shining. He wondered why the medicine cat was only licking one kit band leaving the other kits in the cold.

Grasstail finally noticed and began to draw the other three kits. Wolfstar leanedd down when she yowled with surprise.

"Wolfkit!" She looked down at the gray one.

He flet happy she named it after him. But then he saw what had surprised her. It had only three legs! How could a WindClan ever run as swift as they had to with only three legs? He began to lick the kit anyway. His tongue drew ovedr its slimy fur. But it was cold. It wasn't breathing. The poor three-legged kit was dead.

Grasstail didn't noticed Wolfkit's death. She whimpered as she licked the tabby. "Stonekit is dead..." He stared as two of his kits lay in their mother's paws dead.

"Gorsekit, please be alive." The distraught queen licked at the pretty kit that looked just like her. "No..."

But then they noticed that the medicine cat was still licking the fourth one. "Yes, Meadowkit is still alive." The ginger licked at the kit furiously.

"At least one kit is alive." Wolfstar murmured, earning a cuffed ear from Grasstail.

Suddenly, the two other queens and their kits filed into the burrow. Grasstail tried to warn them.

The kits gasped as they looked at each stiff kit in turn.

"I'll never be a mother." Spottedkit murmured for them to hear.


	9. Chapter 9

Early Morning Frost: Chapter 9

* * *

Specklekit took one last look over her shoulder. Three of four kits of Grasstail were stiff and dead. Unlike Birdkit and Mudkit, they never had a chance to live. Spotpelt usheredd the kits away from the nursery.

"They were dead!" Fuzzykit exclaimed, terror washing over her face. "I can't believe-"

"Hush, Fuzzykit." Brightfur murmured quickly, stuffing her tail in the she-kit's muzzle as a few cats passed by.

The passing warriors exchanged worried looks before leaving the camp for a patrol. Specklekit grasped her sister's pelt when they had gone. Those kits were dead. It was a sad sight. Those three little gray scraps were just so pitiful. And the look on Grasstail's face!

"Wolfstar's gonna be too upset to do our ceremony at this rate." Quailkit muttered.

Spottedkit sighed as the brown tom mumbled selfishly.

Sproutleaf, the deputy, padded over to the kits and queens who sat in the middle of camp as the nursery was occupied by the kitting queen and leader. Specklekit gazed at the irratation in her face. Was she waiting for Wolfstar to call a meeting?

"Sorry, kits." The deputy looked down at Fuzzykit and Quailkit. "I don't think Wolfstar'll call for your ceremonies today."

Specklekit sighed. She was right. Wolfstar was probably too upset about his kits. Sproutleaf sighed softly as well. Then she padded away with a drooping tail as quickly as she came.

"Silvertooth, Goldenfang, hunting patrol?" The deputy called out to the two young warriors.

The queens moved them over to a gorse bush at the edge of the camp. Spotpelt and Brightfur laid down and pushed the kits over too. The greenleaf sun was getting warmer on their backs and the misery of the shock of seeing those poor little kits were too much.

"Are you thinking the same thing?" Spottedkit nudged Specklekit gently, turning her attention to her.

"Hm?" She looked tiredly at her sister.

"Mudkit would have made a good deputy someday."

Specklekit shrugged. "Yes, I guess so."

Brightfur yawned and nosed the kits. "Go get yourselves some fresh-kill. You all are hungry I bet." She nudged the four kits over to the food place.

Quailkit led them to the prey pile. It was full. Greenleaf and newleaf were the best seasons to catch rabbits. They all dragged a rabbit together to a patch of dry tussly grass under the branchs of a blooming gorse near their mothers. They munched on the prey silently. Specklekit looked at her friends as the ate. Quailkit was looking down at the rabbit's fur as he took another bite. Fuzzykit was looking at Spottedkit from the corner of her eyes. Spottedkit was chewing the rabbit slowly, looking up at some spot in the sky.

Specklekit shook her head and sat back licking the prey juices from her muzzle with her tiny tongue. She hoped that Wolfstar would get over their kits, no matter how harsh that sounds. From the stories the elders would tell, Wolfstar used to be a very good leader. He was a good leader, but even better before. Before last leafbare when they were born.

"I'm bored." Quailkit complained.

"Wanna get outta here?" Fuzzykit mewed bitterly.

The two siblings glared at each other. Specklekit felt a wound open up.

"Fuzzykit..." The two white and black sisters sighed.

"Hey," Specklekit stepped between the fuming denmates. "Let's go to the elders' hollow. I'm sure they're bored too."

Quailkit flexed his claws but nodded. "Fine."

"We ought to tell our mothers where we're going." Fuzzykit suggested slowly.

Spottedkit glared at the light calico she-kit, but bounded over to the queens and came back. They padded over to the dip in the sand where the elders layed sprawled out catching sunlight in their pelts. Graypaw was leaning down and searching for rabbit fleas in one of the sunning elders.

Badgerclaw raised his head and looked at them with his blind yellow eyes. "Hello," He sniffed the air. "kits."

"Hello, Badgerclaw." Spottedkit mewed.

They padded down to the elders. Tawnytail was having his fur parted by the clearly annoyed Graypaw. Smallfoot sigehd happily and sat up. A few clumps of fur fell off her pelt as she yawned.

"Here for a story?" Smallfoot asked happily.

"Yes, please." Specklekit meowed politely.

Tawnytail and Badgerclaw curled up in the sand again. Specklekit figured they were not up to telling stories. Graypaw huffed and came over to Smallfoot as well to look for more fleas.

"Right there, Graypaw," Smallfoot said as the she-cat apprentice ruubed her back looking for the nasty bugs. "So you want to hear a story? One mouse fee."

Quailkit rolled his eyes. He had picked up a mouse from the fresh-kill pile to bring, knowing that Smallfoot liked to charge for things. Smallfoot gladly accepted the offering and gulped it down quickly.

"What would you like to know about kitlings?" The gray elder tilted her head in question.

Fuzzykit looked over her shoulder and looked back at the old she-cat. "Wolfstar. When he was younger."

"Ah yes," Smallfoot laid down, making Graypaw lean. "Wolfpaw was quite the-"

"We mean when he was newer at being leader." Quailkit huffed.

"Ah, I see. Wolfstar when he was younger. Well, he isn't much older than Brightfur."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Fuzzykit growled.

Smallfoot ignored the kit. "Wolfstar became leader during leaf-bare. The leader before him, Silverstar, had died from illness. I remember the very day. Whitecough and greencough had ravaged the Clan. Snow and frost made every cat freeze to their bones. Not a single piece of prey was anywhere."

"Stripedfoot said the time that we were born was just like that." Quailkit murmured.

"Yes, and we lost a lot of cats during leaf-bare." Smallfoot nodded. "Silverstar died from illness. So he became Wolfstar. When new-leaf rolled around, RiverClan was looking to advance their territory into the moors. Likewise, RiverClan had tried to take Sunningrocks from ThunderClan. This is important: The two Clan scuffled in the bramble and rocky for Sunningrocks. ThunderClan won just by a whisker. Both Clans walked back to camp with mud and blood smeared in their fur. When news had reached WindClan, Wolfstar was disgusted of how the other Clans fight their battles in the dark and in the mud. So, when RiverClan tried to take a slice of our territory, Wolfstar made sure to keep the fight noble."

"Noble..." Specklekit whispered. Was being noble important to be a good warrior?

"They stayed in the open and never drawled in the dirt. WindClan showed mercy to RiverClan when Wolfstar had their deputy in his claws."

"So he was noble and strong?" Spottedkit said. "But he's so skittish now."

"I don't know," Smallfoot shook her head. "Last leafall he seemed to change. He's not old..."

"Well, thanks for the story," Specklekit dipped her head.

"Let all WindClan cats old enough to feel the wind in their paws gather beneth the Tallrock for a Clan meeting!" Wolfstar yowled above the wind, his voice carrying into the sandy hollow.

"Oh, maybe it's time for our ceremonies!" Fuzzykit squealed.

"Perhaps, young ones." Smallfoot purred, nudging them to their paws.

Brightfur and Spotpelt called for them. "Kits, hurry up!"

The four kits scrambled up to them. Brightfur pulled in Quailkit and Fuzzykit to wash them.

Spotpelt laughed. "Brightfur, you can groom them on the way."

Brightfur licked Fuzzykit's fuzzy fur as they walked to the Tallrock. They sat close to the rock. Spotpelt quickly washed Quailkit as they waited for Wolfstar.

"Fuzzykit," Wolfstar called softly to the she-kit.

"Go on," Brightfur gave her daughter a nudge.

Fuzzykit scrambled over to her place. Spotpelt gave Quailkit a final lick with a nod. Specklekit could see both of them fidgeting excitedly and nervously. Although Fuzzykit seemed to be trembling since she was in front of the entire Clan while Quailkit was still by her side.

Specklekit saw one of the warriors squirming as well. They were probably going to be Fuzzykit's mentor. Then Specklekit spotted Dandelioneyes stalking to the Clan meeting. Wolfstar gave the medicine cat a curt nod before starting the ceremony.


	10. Chapter 10

Early Morning Frost: Chapter 10

* * *

"From now until you recieve your warrior name, you will be known as Fuzzpaw." Wolfstar said.

Fuzzypaw looked down at the WindClan cats. Specklekit saw how nervous she was. She finally caught her eye and gave her a nod. Fuzzypaw looked too fidgety to look at just one cat, but she held Specklekit's gaze before her pelt would fall off from all of her excitement.

"Your mentor will be," Wolfstar paused. It made Fuzzypaw crazy with excitement. "Twofur." The gray leader nodded to the gold-and-gray she-cat.

"Oh!" Fuzzypaw yelped. Twofur was a new warrior. But she was also Fuzzypaw's older sister.

"Twofur, I believe that you are ready for your first apprentice. Yes, you are very young, but you have proven yourself to be brave and loyal. You recieved excellant training from Gentlevoice, and I expect you to pass down all you know to Fuzzypaw."

"Fuzzypaw! Fuzzypaw!" Spottedkit yowled cheerfully.

The Clan laughed softly at the kit who chanted early for the new apprentice. Spottedkit crouched down in embarrassmentand buried her face in Specklekit's shoulder.

"I will do my best to train Fuzzypaw." Twofur vowed, her eyes glittering proudly as she looked down at her sister apprentice.

"Kin should not train kin." Stripedfoot whispered to Spotpelt.

"We don't have as many warriors now. Quite a few died during leaf-bare," Spotpelt mewed quietly.

"True," The tom agreed grimly.

Specklekit looked up at her parents. How many warriors died before she was born? Finally, Fuzzypaw and Twofur touched noses, cueing WindClan to chant her name.

"Fuzzypaw! Fuzzypaw!" Spottedkit meowed with the Clan, not having to embarrass herself this time.

Twofur and Fuzzypaw leapt from the Tallrock and walked over to Brightfur, their mother. Specklekit mewed her congrats to Fuzzypaw. Then the Clan all looked back up at Wolfstar. It was Quailkit's turn. He was not going to train as a warrior, but as a medicine cat. He had chosen to be Dandelioneye's apprentice when his brothers, Birdkit and Mudkit, were carried away like scraps of fresh-kill (which they were) by a hawk.

Dandleioneyes nodded at Quailkit. They both took their place on the Tallrock by Wolfstar. The cats who had not known that Quailkit had chosen to be her apprentice looked at them with wide eyes. Specklekit snuck a look at Featherfang. Her expression was unreadable; Birdtalon had a face of confusion. His disowned son was supposed to be a warrior in his eyes. _Too bad for you,_ Specklekit thought smugly, _your son has chosen his own path for himself._

But as Specklekit swept her gaze over the Clan, some of the cats didn't seem to approve of Quailkit being a medicine cat. He was sour sometimes, and he generally didn't care about the world, but he had a good memory for plants. And he wanted to be a medicine cat to save lives because he couldn't save his littermates.

"Cat of WindClan," The ginger she-cat spoke clearly over the moorland wind. "As you know, I am getting old and will not be around forever. It's about time I took on an... took on a..." Dandelioneyes' confidence suddenly wavered.

Quailkit kept his face blank as the medicine cat choked up on the ceremony. Specklekit was confused. Did she change her mind about Quailkit?

"Her last apprentice, Breezepaw, was impaled by a sheet of ice." Spotpelt explained to her kits quietly. "During leaf-bare, a big wind blew ice off of Tallrock and it was sharp. It blew right into Breezepaw's chest."

"Wow, uh, that's..." Specklekit felt a bit of what Dandelioneyes was feeling. Spottedkit shook her head. The Clan sat silently, almost guiltily, as Dandelioneyes stared into the distance while her body trembled.

Quailkit growled and ran from the Tallrock. The Clan's eyes followed him. What was the mouse-brain thinking? Running away from his ceremony! But he must've been so embarrassed. Specklekit shuffled around as the Clan waited uneasily for what to do next.

Suddenly, Quailkit bounced back. He was carrying green leaves in his mouth. He offered them to the medicine cat.

She raised her head an looked into her apprentice's eyes. "This is why I have chosen Quailkit as my apprentice." Dandelioneyes meowed, she brightened up at her appentice's thoughtfullness. "Thyme to calm a cat." The ginger lapped up the brittle leaves to chew.

Specklekit could see the grief in her eyes ease into calmness. The whole Clan seemed to heave a relieved sigh.

"Cats of WindClan, as you know, I will not be around forever." She started the ceremony once more. "It's about time I took on an apprentice." she meowed that part quickly. "I have chosen a cat who has skill and speed. Your next medicine cat is Quailpaw!"

"Quailpa!..." Spottedkit buried her face in her sister's shoulder again.

Wolfstar flicked his tail. "Quailpaw, do you accept the post as apprentice of Dandelioneyes?"

Quailpaw took a deep breath. "I do." He said slowly. Did he feel suddenly unsure?

"Then during the half-moon, you must travel to the Moonstone to be accepted by StarClan before the other medicine cats."

Wolfstar wrapped up the ceremony. "The good wishes of all of WindClan go with you."

The medicine cats touched noses. Finally, the Clan cheered Quailpaw's name. Spottedkit yowled the loudest, trying to rid herself of some of the embarrassment.

Quailpaw trotted over to them. "I guess that's that. I'm a medicine cat now."

"No," Fuzzypaw argued. "You have to go to the Moonstone first."

"That's in just a few days." Specklekit chimed in.

Spottedkit squirmed around. "You are all apprentices now... A half a moon will take forever!"

"Hey, at least your ceremony will be a few days before a Gathering." Fuzzypaw shrugged.

"Come on Fuzzypaw. Say bye to Mother and your friends." Twofur said in a deep, soft she-cat voice.

"Bye, kits! Bye, Quailpaw." Fuzzypaw threw over her shoulder as Twofur took her on the territory tour.

Spotpelt and Stripedfoot sighed at the same time. Specklekit looked up at them.

"They're growing too fast." Brightfur pouted. Her parents nodded in agreement.

"Well, Brightfur," Spotpelt mewed to her friend. "Are you going back to warrior duties?"

The calico she-cat hung her head. "I guess. I want to have more kits but I am getting old."

"You're not old!" Specklekit squeaked.

"Yes she is." Spottedkit whispered, pointing out the out-of-place white hairs on the queen's muzzle.

"You can stay in the nursery, Brightfur, and help Grasstail." Stripedfoot suggested. "She has only one kit, but it still must be hard for her to have lost three."

"I lost one, too." She muttered.

Specklekit and Spottedkit looked at each in surprise. Did Fuzzypaw have a dead littermate? Spotpelt ushered the kits to the nursery as Brightfur mentioned another lost kit.

"Why are so many kits... dead?" Specklkit mewed frightenedly. There was Birdkit, Mudkit, Wolfkit, Stonekit, and Gorsekit who had all died during kithood. Plus Fuzzypaw's unnamed littermate. That was a lot, but how many more had suffered s a little kit?

Spotpelt sighed as they ducked under gorse to go into the nursery. "It happens."

"A lot?" Spottedkit huffed.

"Yes, it happens often." Grasstail meowed tiredly.

"Sorry," Specklekit dipped her head.

Spotpelt sighed through her nose and carried her kits to their nest.

"Lots of kits die." Grasstail said. "Some die in their mother's belly."

"Grasstail!" Spotpelt hissed.

"Some are too weak when they're born." The white and tabby queen continued. "They die very quickly."

"Stop!" Spotpelt yowled.

"It's the-"

Spotpelt cuffed the queen's ear. "Stop, Grasstail. You are miserable. You lost three kits in the kitting and it was worse because you named them unknowingly." She sheathed and unsheathed her paws. "But you can't tell thses things to kits. _My_ kits."

Specklekit and Spottedkit had their paws covring thei ears as they burrowed into the grass nest. Specklekit felt horrible. Poor Meadowkit! She had three close-things in Grasstail's belly. She must be so scared with the big sound-makers yelling without a single one of her close-things. She was alone in the sharp-feeling world.


	11. Chapter 11

Early Morning Frost: Chapter 11

* * *

Specklekit an Spottedkit sat by the gorse entrance with Quailpaw and Dandelioneyes. The two medicinal felines lapped up the bitter traveling herbs for the journey to the Moonstone.

"Good luck, Quailpaw." Specklekit mewed giving her friend a lick over the ear.

"Show them which Clan's best!" Spottedkit yowled cheerfully.

Quailpaw rolled his eyes. "Medicine cats rise above Clan rivalry."

"That's right, Quailpaw." Dandelioneyes said as she groom her ginger fur. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah," The brown tom nodded. "See you later."

"Bye, good luck!" The she-kits mewed.

The twosome went through the gorse and started their night journey to the Moonstone. Their brown and ginger fur disappeared out of camp into the darkness. Specklekit silently asked StarClan to help Quailpaw be friends with the other cats. Unless they had grown up with him from day one, they might find him rude, pushy, insensitive, and selfish. The two white and black kits padded over to where their mother and father were sharing tongues in the moonlight.

"Are you kits hungry?" Stripedfoot asked his daughters, looking at Spottedkit who looked like a wilting flower. He picked up a specific rabbit from the fresh-kill pile. "I caught it myself during the dusk hunting patrol."

The wilted flower suddenly perked up. "Yes, please!" Spottedkit nodded hungrily.

"Isn't is a little late to be eating?" Spotpelt asked her mate. She didn't want her kits to get too pudgy!

The kits hung their heads. "Aw well..."

The gray queen chuckled. "Okay, if you're hungry."

The two kits munched on the rabbit their father had given them. It tasted much better than the bitter herbs Quailpaw had to eat. Well, that's what they assumed.

Specklekit dug her paws into the fresh-kill. She sighed happily as she ate the tasty late-night meal. As she ate, she mused about being an apprentice. About being a warrior.

"You look like you're dreaming, Specklekit." Spotpelt observed, rubbing her nose with her paw.

"I was thinking about the future." She mewed. She took another bite. "About being an apprentice and-"

"Mind your manners, Specklekit," Spotpelt meowed. "Don't talk and chew at the same time."

"Okay." Specklekit sighed. "Oops!" She chewed and swallowed. "Well, I was thinking about becoming a warrior. And a queen. And maybe even deputy..."

"Being a warrior is a long time away. And I hope you two kits wait to find the right tom to have your own kits with." The queen advised.

Spottedkit lapped the juices on her muzzle with her tongue. "What do you think our warrior names will be?"

Specklekit sighed as her sister interupted their meaningfull conversation.

"Spottedfoot!" Stripedfoot suggested. "After me of course!"

"Maybe Spottedleaf?" Spotpelt tilted her head. "It sounds like a lovely name."

"I think Spottedwing sounds good." Her sister chimed in.

"Spottedspots?" Their father mewed a ridiculous suggestion. "In double of your spots!"

Spottedkit and Specklekit giggled. _We're so lucky to have Stripedfoot as our father. _Specklekit thought to herself. But she scuffed her paws as she looked at Spottedkit. Specklekit couldn't help but noticed that she got a little more attention than she did.

"What about Specklekit?" She mewed, seeing Specklekit's eyes water.

"Speckletail." Stripedfoot said.

Specklekit brightened up. "Speckletail sounds like an old, cranky queen."

"Specklespeck?" Spotpelt laughed. "You two would be Spottedspots and Specklespeck!"

"Or Spottedspeck and Specklespot!" The dark tom chuckled.

"Specklefrost?" Spottedkit suggested. "It's sounds MUCH nicer than Specklespeck."

"Well, enough laughs for tonight." Spotpelt mewed. "Stripedfoot, go to your nest and get some sleep. You have a long day of patrols and training with Figpaw tomorrow."

Stripedfoot nodded and waved his tail as he went to go to his nest under some gorse. Spotpelt took her kits back to the nursery burrow. Specklekit couldn't help but I think about the future.

The sisters would be the best warriors ever! They were like feathers on a bird. They would train apprentices together, raise kits together, battle side by side, and walk the same path forever. They would be together from now until they joined StarClan. Nothing could seperate them. Nothing at all.

"Together forever..." Specklekit sighed before sleep gently licked her eyelids closed.

* * *

Quailpaw and Dandelioneyes padded up the last slope of the Highstones. The apprentice's paws ached. True, the journey was shorter for them since Highstones was closest to WindClan, but he was just about six moons old. His stomach was dull and blocked out hunger from the herbs he had eaten, but he wish he could sink his fangs into a mouse to get his mind off of his tired paws.

"We're almost there," Dandelioneyes mewed.

Quailpaw sighed heavily. She had been saying that since crossing the Thunderpath. Maybe she really was getting old and bat-brained.

"Almost there," She wheezed as they hoisted themselves up.

The RiverClan medicine cat, Milkeye, sat there waiting for them with a warrior, Shinystone. The old RiverClan medicine cat was born with a cataract in her left eye making her eye-sight poor which is why she always brought a warrior escort to the Mothermouth.

"Hello, Milkeye," Dandelioneyes mewed.

The white she-cat turned her head and a spark of recognition lit her face. "Greetings!"

Maybe Milkeye was the bat-brain, not Dandelion. Quailpaw padded over to them. He dipped his head in greeting to the old medicine cat.

"This is Quailpaw, my new apprentice." She nodded to him proudly.

Milkeye leaned down and drew her tongue over his forehead. "Hello, Quailpaw. Aren't you just the cutest?"

Quailpaw backed away a little. As if on cue, the ShadowClan medicine cat arrived. She was a plumy ginger she-cat and she had grief scratched all over her face.

"Lizardleap died after the last Gathering." She mewed.

Milkeye and Dandelioneyes rushed to her side. "He will be missed. He was a great medicine cat. Be strong, Featherflame."

"I don't know what I'll do without him." She stared at the rocky ground. "I got my full name just at the last half-moon..."

"We'll be here for you, little one." Milkeye rasped.

Quailpaw watched the she-cats from afar. Featherflame was a ShadowClanner for StarClan's sake! He knew that medicine cats rise above Clan rivalry, but this made him a little uncomfortable. His mentor flicked her tail. Quailpaw padded over to the comfort-fest.

"I'm sorry about your mentor," Quailpaw murmured. He stood on all of his paws to look up at the tall, young she-cat.

"Huh?" Featherflame opened her eyes and looked down at him. "Oh, a new apprentice."

Shinystone padded over to them. "Look, Bluepelt and Littlepaw are almost here."

Quailpaw peered over the edge and saw a blue-gray tom and small gray tabby she-cat climbing the slope. Finally, all of the medicine cats (plus Shinystone), were gathered at the entrance to the Mothermouth.

"Lizardleap has joined StarClan." Featherflame said to the ThunderClan cats.

"I'm sorry to hear that!" Littlepaw mewed grimly.

"He will always be with you," Bluepelt nodded.

Milkeye looked up at the sky. "It's time we get going."

They all nodded. Milkeye took the lead. They all filed into the tunnel. Quailpaw's breathing became labored. He was underground now. The weight of the mountain made Quailpaw feel psuedo-pressure on his back.

"Don't panic," Bluepelt said over his shoulder. "Huh? Oh a new apprentice! I'm sorry I didn't notice you before."

"That's Quailpaw." Dandelion said. Her mew bounced off the walls of the tunnel.

Quailpaw glared at them through the darkness. He stopped and took a deep breath. Then he realized he was left behind. Quailpaw scrambled to his paws and blindly stumbled after them. He almost took a wrong way.

A light shined ahead and he saw the pelts of the medicine cats. He stumbled into the cavern thankful for light.

"I thought we lost you," Dandelion sighed in relief, pushing her apprentice closer to a huge crystal that held all of Silverpelt in one spot.

It looked pretty, but Quailpaw just wanted to get the ceremony started. _Forget the Moonstone; just start the ritual already! _Quailpaw thought with an impatient mind and a lashing tail.


	12. Chapter 12

Early Morning Frost: Chapter 12

* * *

Quailpaw sat in front of the Moonstone and his mentor. He faced Dandelioneyes, the Moonstone behind her. Milkeye, Bluepelt, Featherflame, and Littlepaw all sat in a semi-circle around him and the shining rock.

"Quailpaw, is it your wish to enter the mysteries of StarClan as a medicine cat?" Dandelioneyes meowed clearly.

Quailpaw almost rolled his eyes, but he didn't. "Yes, it is." Of course he did! That's why he came here in the first place.

The ginger she-cat flicked her tail. "Then come forward."

"Warriors of StarClan," She continued as Quailpaw sat in a crevice close up to the Moonstone. "I present you with this apprentice. He has chosen the path of a medicine cat. Grant him your wisdom and insight so that he may heal his Clan in accordance to your will."

The other medicine cats murmured his nose. They all took a spot under the Moonstone. Dandelioneyes motioned with her muzzle to touch it. Quailpaw touched the cold stone with his nose and flopped over.

_Quailpaw woke up in a beautiful stretch of grass and heather. The breeze blew over the StarClan moorland. He looked around but no cat was to be found. Suddenly, a screech blared from above. He threw his head up. A giant hawk flew towards him with outstretched claw._

_The small apprentice cringed. The huge talons gripped him firmly. Quailpaw opened his yellow-colored eyes. He didn't feel scared. He felt awesome! He was flying! He knew the hawk wouldn't kill him. StarClan was just sending him a message. The hawk flew over a river and dropped Quailpaw onto an island._

_It looked like an abandoned camp. It was probably RiverClan's. He padded around. There was a fresh-kill pile stocked with fresh fish and voles. The Clan wasn't dirty at all. He then heard a single mew. A burrow surrounded by reeds rustled and drew him closer._

_A queen with four kits, about two or three moons old, the same age as when Birdkit and Mudkit were taken away, played and groomed them lovingly._

_One kit was a whitish-gray she-kit. Two of the others were blue-gray toms. The last one was a tom with a brown pelt, yellow eyes, and white paws._

_"I like it here in RiverClan," The brown tom meowed to his littermates. "If I went back to WindClan, I don't know what they'd do to me."_

_Quailpaw shrieked. It was Mudkit! He put a paw out to his brother. But he couldn't feel him. Either Mudkit had died, or he was alive in RiverClan!_

Quailpaw woke up trembling. His brother might be alive! He turned to ask Milkeye about a brown apprentice, but he shut his mouth. It was just a dream. Mudkit was dead. Mudkit was eaten by a hawk. He kept the dream to himself. Dandelion had told him to not share the dreams he had beforepaw anyway...

The rest of the medicine cats slowly rose and yawned. They all began to file back out of the cavern. Littlepaw nudged him roughly.

"Come on, Quailpaw." She meowed.

"Sorry," He shook his head and padded back into the tunnel.

Littlepaw whispered in his ear as she squeezed past him. "You'll never replace Breezepaw."

Quailpaw hesitated. She was right. Dandelioneyes did feel more distant than she should have. He'll never replace her first apprentice.

* * *

"Oh my StarClan!" Spottedkit jumped around. "Our apprentice ceremony is tomorrow!"

Specklekit nodded and ran around in circles excitedly. Meadowkit began to make excited noises.

"Please calm down!" Grasstail meowed. "Meadowkit needs to take a nap."

"Sorry, Grasstail." Specklekit apologized quietly.

"Why don't you both go outside for now." Grasstail suggested.

Spottedkit and Specklekit bounced outside. Who would their mentors be? What kind of battle moves would they learn?

"I'm so excited!" Spottedkit yowled.

Specklekit swiped her sister's nose. "Let's go visit Fuzzypaw."

"Okay!" Spottedkit's blue eyes shined brightly.

They tumbled over to the apprentices' area. It was on the edge of camp. There were gorse bushes and a clear patch of sand. There was also a big dug-out rabbit hole in the camp's earth walls. There were five nests of feathers, woven grass, and sheep wool tucked under gorse and by the rabbit hole.

None of the apprentices were to be found. Spottedkit sniffed around the nests, finding the one that Fuzzypaw slept in.

"I wonder where they get this wool." Specklekit thought aloud.

"The farmplace." A deep voice said from behind them, making them jump out of their fur.

It was Thornpaw, the brownish-gold tabby tom. Behind him was Pinkpaw, a creamy-brown she-cat with the cutest little pink nose. And behind them was Figpaw. He was dripping wet from his whiskers to his toes. He had a scray scowl on his face.

"Yikes!" Specklekit jumped back as the wet tom glared at them.

"He's just mad that I beat him in battle practice." Thornpaw shrugged. "I pushed him into a stream."

Spotpelt was calling their names. Fuzzypaw waved her tail and the queen came into the apprentice area.

"How is training?" The queen asked the apprentices.

"Awesome!" Graypaw mewed, laughing and pointing her tail at Figpaw, her arch-nemisis.

* * *

The next day, the green-leaf heat had grown. Luckily, so did the cooling breezes of the moorland. And, Specklekit and Spottedkit were ecstatic. It was finally their day to become apprentices. Stripedfoot and Spotpelt spent all morning grooming their fur.

"I think we're clean enough," Spottedkit tried to convince her parents.

"Not until I can see my reflection on your pelts," Spotpelt meowed, licking the kits over the ears.

Specklekit looked at Spottedkit. Her fur was flat and smooth against her body. Her pelt was holding a glimmering sheen. Spotpelt had made sure not a single fleck of sand clung to her daughters' fur. Pride shimmered in the queens eyes.

And for that moment, everything was perfect.

"Cats of WindClan," Wolfstar yowled from the Tallrock. "All who are old enough to catch their own prey and feel the wind in their paws gather here beneath the Tallrock for a Clan meeting!"

Spotedkit sprang up to her paws. "Finally!"

Spotpelt shrieked as the white and black she-kit ruffled her fuzzies. The queen briskly rasped her tongue over her shoulders to get it to stay down.

"Walk over there and don't try to ruffle your fur," Stripedfoot instructed.

Spotpelt nudged her kits over to the Tallrock where the Clan began to crowd around. "Oh my kits, I'm so proud." Her light blue eyes glittered brightly.

"You'll be great warriors one day," Stripedfoot chimed in.

Spotpelt and Stripedfoot sat at the base of the Tallrock with their well-groomed daughters by their side. Specklekit looked at the Clan cats who gazed up at Wolfstar. She could feel a few of the warriors acting anxious. There were only six warriors without apprentices. Five if you didn't count Brightfur.

When Wolfstar was contented with what cats had gathered, he called Specklekit to her place. Specklekit gazed down at all the cats once more. Not every cat was there since a hunting patrol hadn't returned, but it still made Specklekit shiver.

"Specklekit," Wolfstar meowed, "you have reached the age of six moons and are ready to become an apprentice. From this day on, until you earn your full warrior name, you will be known as Specklepaw."

Specklepaw looked down at her sister. Spottedkit was about to yowl her name when she suddenly realized that she always made that mistake at ceremonies. Specklekit stifled a giggle as her her sister made a fish face.

"Your mentor will be Silvertooth. I hope Silvertooth passes down all he knows to you." Wolfstar nodded at the silver tom.

Specklepaw didn't know if she should be happy, excited, or nervous. Silvertooth was very calm. He was quiet. He was too quiet. He was mysterious. He had never gotten mad when she and the other kits had bowled him over in a race. He was just quiet and calm and spoke in a slow voice. It was scary.

But Silvertooth took his place up by them on the Tallrock. The leader continued the ceremony. "Silvertooth, you are young, and you are ready to take on your first apprentice. You had recieved excellent training from Sproutleaf, and you have shown yourself to be thoughtful and patient. You will mentor Specklepaw. I hope you pass down all of your knowledge to her."

"I will." Silvertooth vowed.

Specklepaw nervously touched her nose to his.

"Specklepaw! Specklepaw!" WindClan began to cheer.

Specklepaw and Silvertooth scrambled down the Tallrock. Specklepaw walked over to Spotpelt and Stripedfoot. Then Spottedkit took her place. The kit shook her haunches excitedly.

"...you will be known as Spottedpaw." Wolfstar nodded.

Specklepaw looked up at her jiggling sister. Spottedpaw sounded like a very good name. Specklepaw squeezed her eyes shut and scrunched up her nose. She hoped that Goldenfang would be her sister's mentor, because Goldenfang was Twofur's and Silvertooth's sister. It would be awesome if all three could train under one litter! Especially since they're Fuzzypaw's older siblings.

Wolfstar took a deep breath. "Your mentor will be Birdtalon."

* * *

Chapter 12 is by far the least read chapter in this story. WHY?! It's the most important one between the chapters 1 to 12!


	13. Chapter 13

Early Morning Frost: Chapter 13

* * *

Specklepaw squeaked in horror. Birdtalon, the father of Quailpaw and former mate of Featherfang, the tom who seemed in inept to help raise even one kit, the tom who stalked around camp and hardly mew a single word to any cat, is to be Spottedpaw's mentor?

Spottedpaw stopped bouncing around. Birdtalon stalked over to the rock and leapt up. For the joyful and bubbly kit, Birdtalon was not the popular choice. Plus, Spottedpaw and Specklepaw didn't exactly have a good view of him so far.

"Birdtalon, you have received excallent training from Badgerclaw. You are ready to take on another apprentice. You have shown yourself to to be strong and skillful. May you pass down all you know to Spottedpaw."

"Sure," The brown tom shrugged.

Spottedpaw tried not to show her dislike for her mentor. She reached up 'eagerly' to touch his nose.

"Spottedpaw! Spottedpaw!" The Clan cheered by her new name. She even started chanting her own name- Spottedpaw loved attention.

Spottedpaw raced over to her family. Spotpelt showered her kits with licks and purrs. Stripedfoot nodded proudly to his daughters.

"You're growing up so fast!" Spotpelt moaned. She licked the new apprentices over the nose.

"Will you be a warrior again?" Specklepaw asked, thinking about how fun it would be to patrol and hunt with her mother.

"No, I'm going to stay a queen." Her mother mewed, almost sadly, "I'll help Grasstail with Meadowkit, welcome new queens, and help with the elders."

"Will you give us a new littermate?" Spottedpaw asked brightly. "A new sister or brother?"

"I'll think about it," Spotpelt laughed, glancing at Stripedfoot, her mate. "Now go on with your mentors. They're waiting for you."

"Okay, bye Mother, bye Father!" The sisters mewed and waved their tails to their parents as they padded over to their new mentors.

* * *

Stripedfoot sighed heavily, padding with his mate to the nursery. Their two kits, Spottedpaw and Specklepaw, had just became apprentices and were already on with the tour of the territory with their mentors. The two cats slowly walked back to the nursery where Spotpelt had decided to stay.

"I have something important to tell you," Stripedfoot meowed.

"Oh no," The beautiful queen mewed.

He widened his eyes and looked at her. "No, I love you! I'll never leave you."

Spotpelt sighed in relief. "Thank you, I love you too." She entwined her tail with his. "I have something important to tell you too."

"Oh?" Stripedfoot crossed his paws in order to avoid the gorse next to the nursery

"Spottedpaw got me thinking. I want more kits!" Spotpelt purred.

"I want more kits too!" Stripedfoot confessed brightly.

They padded into the cool burrow. Grasstail was sleeping contently with Meadowkit under her chin. Stripedfoot, like the gentletom he was, gave his mate a paw into her nest. They sat down and rested their heads on each others shoulders.

"Uhm, remember during your kitting," The tom asked her.

"Yes, you passed out when Spottedpaw born."

"Yeah, but I woke up when Specklepaw was born," He mewed sheepishly. "And you passed out from the pain,"

"Yeah, it hurt," She hissed.

"Sorry, I'm not trying to..." Stripedfoot looked into her pretty blue eyes pleadingly.

"I know. What were saying?" Spotpelt gave his nose a lick.

"Um..." Stripedfoot looked down at his paws. He squeezed his eyes tight. "There was a third kit born."

"Huh?" The gray-and-white she-cat looked at him in surprise. "There was?"

"As soon as you passed out, there was a third kit born," Stripedfoot admitted. "I'm sorry no cat told you... for six moons,"

"Wow, that's a lot to take in, Stripedfoot." She mewed grimly. "I didn't even see the little scrap before Dandelion revived me."

"I'm sorry," He said again. "It was a tom. He looked just like our daughters. I know still-borns happen all the time, but no cat told you."

Spotpelt forgave StarClan and all her Clanmates that kept the small secret from her. It wasn't a big deal. They happen a lot...

"Well, what would we have named him?" Spotpelt asked, leaning her face into his shoulder. "Stripedkit? Stripekit?"

"Stripedkit" Stripedfoot murmured. "I told him his name was Stripedkit when I buried him. He's Stripedkit it in StarClan."

"I like it," The queen mewed tiredly. "I like that name."

* * *

"This is the border with ShadowClan," Silvertooth said, flicking his tail at the Thunderpath.

"What's that?" Spottedpaw pointed at a big hole next to the acrid path.

"That's a tunnel that can be used to travel between territories." The tom replied. "We always have to keep a strong scent here, or ShadowClan might cross through."

"Let's go before they come then," Birdtalon meowed sourly.

Specklepaw looked at the forest of pine and marsh. There pine trees near the Thunderpath, but the darkness in the forest she could see the shiny ground of marsh. What did wet mud feel like under paws? All she had ever felt was sand, grass, and rock. There was never any mud in WindClan, even in big rains.

Suddenly, a big shiny thing came roaring past. It blasted hrough their ear fur and filled their nose with stench. It blew past kicking up dust and bits of debris. It left Specklepaw feeling dirty, itchy, and dry.

"What was THAT?" Spottedpaw meowed, watching it move away into the distance as fast as it had came.

Silvertooth wiped his nose with a paw. "It's called a monster. It carries Twolegs in its bellies. They never stray from the Thunderpaths because their scared they might get lost and dirty." The warrior helped the shocked apprentices away from the tunnel and path. "Never cross a Thunderpath alone. And always look both ways. And when you run across a Thunderpath, keep running and never look back. Run until you're across."

They padded away, thankful to be away from the stinky Twoleg paths and monsters. They came to another Thunderpath. Beyond it lay rocky hills.

"The Highstones. In it are the Mothermouth and Moonstone," Silvertooth nodded his head towards the brwn and gray rocks in the distance.

When Specklepaw stood on her hind paws, she could see a tiny black dot nestled between some boulders. The Mothermouth.

"This is the Drypool," Silvertooth mewed as they headed away from the Thunderpath.

The came up to a big patch of pink heather. There was a big deep dip in the earth. It was just dirt, but grass and heather grew around its ring.

"Its always dry except when it rains a lot in new-leaf. Then it isn't even good for drinking. It's just muddy." Silvertooth meowed, almost scowling at the Drypool's incompitence.

"That's when I call it the Mudpool." Birdtalon chimed in.

The three other cats stared at him. He was trying to make a joke, but it was a fail.

Silvertooth led them to Lookout Rock, the Hunting Stones, Fourtrees, the small stretch where ThunderClan met WindClan, the RiverClan borders and then the Gorge.

It was wide and deep with steep slopes and rocky banks down by the river. If any cat fell, they might get hurt and stranded which is why Silvertooth told them to never come without a warrior.

Specklepaw looked down the edge. Far far down, the river ran like a blue vein through the orange and gray stone that built the Gorge. It must have been many seasons ago when the river was at the top.

She looked at Spottedpaw who was trembling. She must be afraid of heights. Then Specklepaw suddenly thought of the wind. She'd lived with it all her life, she barely noticed it roaring as Silvertooth talked. It blew their fur and battered their ears. But what if a strong gust suddenly swept you off your paws? She'd fall right down the Gorge!

Specklepaw backed up. Wait. She looked over the edge one more time. Were there cats down there? Suddenly the ground beneath began to crumble. She mewed in fear as her mentor grabbed her tightly by the scruff and hauled her back wards. The cats of the Gorge had disappeared.

"Let's go back to camp; it's getting late." Birdtalon said, stalking back to the camp as dusk began to come.

Specklepaw nodded shakily. Silvertooth checked her for injuries and gave her a lick over the ear. She leaned on Spottedpaw the whole way back.

"We'll show you the Farmplace tomorrow." Silvertooth sighed.

The silver warrior flicked his tail over Specklepaw's flank. She felt warmer than she already was. What was that feeling of warmth? It wasn't on top of her pelt like the heat of the sun; it was under pelt where not even a cool dip in a pond would cool it off.

Spottedpaw and Specklepaw went over the apprentices' area. There were two nests next t the rabbit hole for them. The two sisters slumped into them.

"I'm exhausted," Spottedpaw mewed, covering her face with her paws.

Specklepaw sighed. "I hope it will get easier."


	14. Chapter 14

Early Morning Frost: Chapter 14

* * *

The dusk sky turned to night and the stars woke up as the Clan went to sleep. The apprentices had spent the whole day restocking the empty prey pile. But now, the young cats finally got to rest their tired paws.

"Whew!" Graypaw sighed as she snuggled into her nest. "What a day! I can't believe we had to restock the whole fresh-kill pile!"

Pinkpaw nodded. Then she turned to Specklepaw and Spottedpaw. "How are you feeling?"

"Hey," Spottedpaw glared teasingly at her. "We've been apprentices for a half-moon now; we aren't kits. We are just fine."

"I'm tired though," Specklepaw admitted quietly.

Graypaw sighed through her nose and tucked her muzzle into her paws. Pinkpaw glanced at the two sisters and then at Thornpaw. He was rolling around white stuff in his nest. Then Figpaw finally piped up.

"Well, are we all gonna sleep or are we gonna go to the farmplace?" The mottled tom meowed irritatedly.

Thornpaw hooked some of the fluff on his claws and threw it at him. "Fine. Let's go." The brown-gold tabby hated agreeing with Figpaw.

But Specklepaw and Spottedpaw looked uncertainly at each other. They were going to the farmplace- at night? Without their mentors? Did they have bat brains?

"It's where we get this wool," Pinkpaw explained to them, flicking a scrap of fluff from her nest. "It's nice to sleep on."

"Are you two mouse-hearts scared?" Figpaw asked, turning his narrowed green eyes at them.

Spottedpaw jumped up. "No way, and we aren't mouse-hearts." She growled at the gray tomcat.

"Shut your faces, 'paws." An angry warrior yowled from his nest somewhere in the camp.

"Sorry, Gentlevoice!" Graypaw meowed to her mentor. Then she added in a whisper, "He doesn't have much of a gentle voice."

Figpaw snorted and walked over to the rabbit hole and crawled into the darkness. Thornpaw and Pinkpaw followed after him. Graypaw stood up nudged the newer apprentices to the hole.

"What about Fuzzypaw?" Specklepaw asked, throwing a glance over her shoulder where Fuzzypaw was still sleeping.

"She's too scared. She wouldn't go last time we went." Graypaw shrugged, leading them into the burrow.

Specklepaw squinted. Figpaw was in the back pawing at a wall of rock. She didn't understand how being in a hole would get them to the farmplace. But she tried to look over Graypaw's shoulder to see.

"Yeow!" She squeaked as she hit her head on the earthy ceiling.

"It's a tight fit," Pinkpaw said, glancing behind her at Specklepaw. The cream-colored she-cat sighed and tried to make room for them by pressing against Thornpaw.

"Finally," Figpaw muttered. The loose rocks tumbled down.

"Hey, watch it!" Thornpaw yowled as a stone fell on his paw. He stumbled backwards and bumped into Graypaw.

"You watch it!" Graypaw whacked her brother's tail out of her face.

Specklepaw and Spottedpaw simply gazed at the hole. It was black and dark and looked scary. Figpaw flicked his tail. Thornpaw grunted and bit down on the tom's tail, then Thornpaw took hold of Pinkpaw's, and then Graypaw took her brother's tail in her mouth, and Spottedpaw gulped- But she still bit down on Graypaw's tail. Specklepaw began to back up. They were going into the deeper hole. This is why Fuzzypaw hadn't gone with them, and why they hadn't asked her this time. It was because Fuzzypaw was afraid. It looked very scary.

But Specklepaw held onto her sister's tail and Figpaw led them into the tunnel. The dim light from the moon and stars disappeared as they wandered deeper underground. The tunnel twisted around like a snake, but there were no turns or other tunnels. Specklepaw couldn't see her own nose in front of her; she relied on Figpaw to lead them out of the tunnels.

Spottedpaw began to pant heavily. Her heart raced. They were underground. If the tunnels collapsed, they'd be trapped underground forever!

"Specklepaw, don't be a mouse-heart," Figpaw growled as he came to the first cross-path.

"It's not me, it's Spottedpaw who's afraid," Specklepaw murmured to herself.

Figpaw led them through the left fork and they continued their trek to the farmplace. Specklepaw began to wonder how the tunnels got their in the first place.

"Where do the tunnels come from?" She asked aloud.

Through tail fur, Pinkpaw explained, "WindClan used to have two warrior ranks: Moor-runners and tunnelers. Tunneling was stopped a long time ago by Heatherstar, the WindClan tom leader. These are some of the many tunnels from back then."

"Why don't we use them anymore?" Spottedpaw asked.

"I don't know," Pinkpaw replied, her voice carrying back to them through the darkness. "All of the tunnel entrances are blocked up and forgotten, except we found the one in that rabbit hole."

_Heatherstar sounds more like a she-cat name... _Specklepaw thought idly. Suddenly, she bumped into Spottedpaw. Figpaw had stopped walking.

"Are you lost?" Thornpaw growled. "We've done this a thousand times!"

"No," Specklepaw could smell his fear-scent as the leading apprentice couldn't decide which way to go. "Okay, we're lost."

"H-how will we get out?!" Spottedpaw yowled loudly, dropping Graypaw's tail.

"Never let go of the tail in front of you," Thornpaw meowed, hearing Spottedpaw's voice clear.

Specklepaw could hear the older apprentices shuffling and give off fear-scent. Spottedpaw quickly grabbed Graypaw's tail again. Figpaw couldn't choose between the paths in front of him. She had heard stories from the elders about trips to the Moonstone; how there were tunnels in the Mothermouth and it was easy for cats to be lost forever. Were these tunnels like the ones in the Mothermouth?

"We're stuck here," Pinkpaw said at last.

Then a cold breeze blew through the tunnels and every cat started to panic. A cat spirit brushed past them and stood by Figpaw. The ghost offered light, and Specklepaw could see Figpaw trying to press against the wall away from the cat. the cat wasn't starry like StarClan were supposed to be, so Specklepaw wondered why it was there.

"Oh, Shimmer Frost, you got lost again," it sounded like a she-cat, and she was talking to herself. Shimmer Frost didn't even notice the apprentices. "I'll never get out of here..."

"Shimmer F-Frost?" Spottedpaw meowed to the spirit.

"Huh? Who's there?" The small she-cat whipped around and stared straight straight the apprentices. Shimmer Frost flattened her ears and sighed. "Well, I am pretty hungry. My belly must be talking to me..."

The faint ginger turned back around and looked at the three tunnels that branched out in front of her. Graypaw whispered softly, "Maybe if we shout her name, she'll hear us."

"Okay," Her brother nodded.

All at once, they shouted, "SHIMMER FROST!"

The ghostly cat jumped and stared at them with wide eyes. "Who are you?"

"We're apprentices of WindClan." Figpaw mewed. "We were going to the farmplace, but now we're lost."

"Oh! Did you follow me?" She tipped her head.

The apprentices looked at each other with uncertainty. This she-cat was dead- just a spirit! And she didn't know it.

"No, but can you lead us out of here?" Thornpaw asked her politely.

"Yes, grab my tail and follow me." She shifted her eyes around.

When Figpaw and Thornpaw had tails in their mouths, Shimmer Frost took a path and led them through. Specklepaw marveled at the dark rich soil that the tunnels were made of. She scented stale ground hogs and other critters. The ancient tunnelers of WindClan probably hunted for them long ago, and they probably still could. The WindClan cats, dead and alive, became silent as they took twists and turns in the cobweb of tunnels.

Suddenly, they all bumped into each other as Shimmer Frost stopped. Her light showed them that they were at a dead end.

"I'm sorry, I'm lost." The sandy-ginger shook her head in shame. Her glowing blue eyes, absent of pupils, were narrowed in apology. She slipped past them and faded as she ran away.

"We are so dead!" Spottedpaw wailed.

* * *

[A/N] Someone PM'd me asking why I put so many side adventures in my stories... Heh heh, you'll see later.

BTW, in the summary, one cat leaves the Clan and one falls for a kittypet... Which cats? *duhn duhn*


	15. Chapter 15

Early Morning Frost: Chapter 15

* * *

The six WindClan apprentices, Thornpaw, Figpaw, Pinkpaw, Graypaw, Spottedpaw, Specklepaw, shuffled around on their paws nervously. They were going for a harmless trip to the farmplace using the underground tunnels when Figpaw had made a wrong turn even though he knew the way. Now they were lost. They had met a spirit named Shimmer Frost who may have been an ancient WindClan tunnel warrior, but she had gotten them even more lost and had disappeared. No they were underground facing a dead end with no sense of direction.

Soil began to crumble and fall onto the young cats' heads and pelts. A deep rumble vibrated very softly through the earth from above like crashing rocks. It made their hearts jump in fear.

"Hey!" Graypaw pointed her ears above them, though no other cat could see. Hearing her voice, she didn't seem to afraid. "I hear thunder!"

"It sounds more like huge heavy cat paws." Pinkpaw suggested.

"I hear it, too," Figpaw growled. "I think it's sheep or horse hooves actually."

Specklepaw pressed close to Spottedpaw. Why did they have to go with them? To get fluffy stuff from the farmplace? To prove that they weren't mouse-hearts? A pebble bounced off of Spottedpaw's head and she squeaked and pressed her face into her sister's shoulder. More soil and earth rained down on the apprentices as the rumbling got louder.

"I think we're under the farmplace!" Graypaw yowled over the noise and shaking dust.

The pounding of thunder-like sounds became distant once more. Though they couldn't see each other, they could hear each other clearly.

"We should try to dig above us. We probably aren't too deep." Thornpaw suggested.

They all crowded into one spot and began to dig into the wall in a slanted direction. Specklepaw was digging in the back, and she shoveled backwards the dirt loosened by the others. Thornpaw was striking the earth furiously. He was in front of the rest while they dug upwards to the farmplace. He surprised how easy it was to dig through the earth after the first few fox-tails from the tunnels.

"Ahck!" Figpaw coughed as Thornpaw sprayed soil from his paws.

Finally, the milky light of dawn seeped through into their tunnel as Thornpaw pushed one more pawful of soil down into Figpaw's face.

"Free!" He yowled. "We're free!"

They all poured out from the hole with black dirt smudges all over their pelts. Pinkpaw struggled out after Figpaw. Her chest was heaving and she was shaking as she breathed. Their eyes blinked rapidly and they squinted in the dawn light. It was bright compared to the nightime of starless darkness.

Specklepaw and Spottedpaw knew that the tunnels had stale air, but why was Pinkpaw breathing like that?

Graypaw nudged them. "She has an illness that never goes away. It makes breathing hard if she works too hard. The tunnel air didn't help."

Specklepaw nodded. She looked around and saw the WindClan camp in the distance. When she turned she saw clouds with legs and heads. They were next to a wooden fence, and with them on the other side were also big brown pelted creatures with dangerous looking hooves.

Pinkpaw was resting her head on Thornpaw's shoulder. They were all tired and shaken. Figpaw was covering up the hole with wood pieces and grass, but his stomach was going up and down in quick breaths. Graypaw fell asleep with her belly growling on Spottedpaw.

Specklepaw was hungry too. She padded off to explore the farmplace for food after Thornpaw warned her to be safe and careful. The farmplace was big. There were fences seperating the walking clouds and horses. There was what looked like a Twoleg nest next to a big red barn. Mouse-scent flooded from under the doors of the barn. Specklepaw was about to go back to the group to tell them about the barn when she heard a mew.

A fluffy kitten squeezed out from the inside of the barn and padded to the Twoleg nest without even noticing Specklepaw. She watched him pad lazily away.

"What would Silvertooth do?" She asked herself. "Silvertooth would warn him to stay away from our territory." There was a possibility of this cat to stray into WindClan territory. Right?

The apprentice followed the kit with rabbit hunting skills; silent, weaving, and low to the ground. His amber tabby fur was splayed out in all directions as if he had been tussling with his own tail all day. The kit was plump like the kittypets that lived in the Twolegplace near ThunderClan, or at least that's what she thought of from the elders' stories. But he also looked strong like the loners that once lived in the barn long ago.

She followed him past another fence. He didn't even notice he was being stalked. He squeezed under another fence and padded up to the small Twoleg nest. Specklepaw followed him catiously.

The plump tabby scraped his paws on the door and mewed, "Hello! I'm thirsty."

_Is he talking to the Twolegs? _Specklepaw froze and watched as an old, wrinkly Twoleg set out a bowl with sweet creamy milk for him. The kit purred and lapped it up, flinging droplets of milk onto his whiskers. The Twoleg bared its teeth and went back inside.

"How weird," She murmured to herself.

Specklepaw wasn't sure if this kittypet would be any threat at all to WindClan, but would Silvertooth take a chance? Plus, he was a very big cat anyway and if he found Pinkpaw and the others he might attack them. Specklepaw knew she had to do this.

She crept up to the wooden porch. The tabby still hadn't noticed her as he sloppily drank up the milk. Specklepaw wiggled her haunches and sprang up landing clumsily on her paws. The tabby scrambled to sit up, his blue eyes wide in surprise.

The two cats stared at each other, frozen in each others gaze. This kit looked older than her! He was plump but he had muscle under his pelt. He looked scared, as if he had never seen another cat in his life. Specklepaw cleared her head. She mustered a growl to the farmplace cat, but she didn't say anything.

"Do you want some milk?" He asked sheepishly, backing up to the door of the nest.

"No," The she-cat replied, slowly creeping up on him for maximum threat.

"Well," The ginger pressed himself against the door. "what do you want?"

Specklepaw closed her eyes and thought about what her mentor would say to this cat. "What's your name?"

"Mathias." He meowed half-proudly half-afraid.

"Do you live here?" The apprentice demanded.

"I live with these Farmfolk, yes." Mathias nodded. "I catch mice in the barn for them."

_Farmfolk must be his way of saying Twolegs_. "Well, Mathias, I came here to warn you."

"Warn me?" He gasped. His blue eyes grew even bigger and his ear were pricked in surprise.

Specklepaw nodded, feeling satisfied that this was going well. "Stay on your territory- the farmplace. Or WindClan will drive you out."

"I'd never leave the farmplace!" Mathias mewed. "What is WindClan?"

She sat down and puffed out her chest proudly. "WindClan is one of the four Clans of the forest, except that we live on the upperlands near here. We are many cats who live together, fight together, and hunt together. There is a leader, a deputy, medicine cats, warriors and their apprentices, queens and their kits, and the elders."

"The Clans of the forest?" He meowed confusedly to himself.

"There is ShadowClan, RiverClan, ThunderClan, and WindClan. We all live in the forest under StarClan: our warrior anscestors." She explained.

"WindClan sounds great," Mathias tipped his head.

"Yes!" She agreed whole-heartedly. "We are strong. But if a kittypet like you steps one paw into our territory we'll shred you."

"Oh my." The tabby gulped.

Specklepaw nodded and began to leap off the deck. "Farewell... Mathias." _And may StarClan make our paths never cross again._

"Wait, what's your name? Are you a warrior?" Mathias asked before she left.

"No, I'm an apprentice." She blinked. Did she seem like a warrior to this kittypet? She'd been training for just over a half-moon."My name is Specklepaw."

With that she ran off back to the group. The hungry Clan cats would love the news of a barn full of mice.

* * *

SHOUT OUT:

I'd like to thanks all seven of the favoritieders and followers! Thank you for making my will to go on even stronger!

I'd like to thank the following reviewers: **Gamblers Are Never Happy**, **Guest **(a random guest),** Stuffed Watermelon**,** The Imaginative Warrior**,** Tansyfang**,** Sky of Stars**, and most of all,** A Storm of the Stars! **

You've all made me very happy. I feel like I might finish this story and might even rewrite its sequel... Ya know, since this is a prequel to the Legend of the Zebra-Striped Kit.

I'd also like to thank all my story visitors, and my mom who, quote on quote, "will never read my story." And my father for actually reading it.


	16. Chapter 16

Early Morning Frost: Chapter 16

* * *

The milky light of dawn turned blue as the sun fell upward. The shiny stars of Silverpelt faded to the sky. New rays of sunlight dried off the shiny dew of the grass and warmed the pelts of the tired and dirty Clan apprentices.

"Guess what?" Specklepaw meowed as she raced towards the resting apprentices. "I just met a kittypet!"

"What?" Figpaw hissed, jumping to his paws. He was notably similar to Quailpaw that way.

"Did you say kittypet?" Thornpaw asked, blinking drowsiness from his eyes.

The other young apprentices gathered around Specklepaw with a sweep of her tail. She explained how she had followed the barn cat Mathias to a small and lonely Twoleg nest. The sleepiness and exhaustion drained from their eyes.

"Why would you follow a kittypet?" Her sister Spottedpaw asked with narrowed eyes.

Spottedpaw's expression made Specklepaw lower her gaze to the ground. "I thought that he might try to go into WindClan territory. So I gave him a warning."

"Did you fight him?" Graypaw asked excitedly. "You hardly know any battle moves!"

"I didn't fight him," She explained. "He was bigger and older but he was scared of me."

"Kittypets are so stupid." Figpaw clicked his tongue. "WindClan has never had a kittypet in their ranks. I hope you didn't ask him to join."

"Of course I didn't!" Specklepaw growled. "He's too fat to be a WindClanner." She swiped a paw across the gray tom's nose. "The barn cat told me about the barn. It's full of mice."

"What if he comes back to his barn?" Pinkpaw asked, her yellow eyes wide.

Graypaw snorted. She licked her gray tabby fur while comforting her cream-colored friend. "You heard Specklepaw. He was scared of a little apprentice like her! He wouldn't dare confront us."

"That's right." Thornpaw nodded to his sister. "We should hunt before going back to camp."

"Whatever you say," Figpaw glared at him. "Thornstar."

They all padded over to the barn. There was a big gap in the corner of one of the huge wooden doors. It was a tight squeeze to get through. Specklepaw wondered how Mathias was able to get in and out at all. Inside of the barn was dark with only dusty beams of soft dawn light streaming from the big windows near the ceiling.

The scents and sounds of scurrying mice made their mouths water. They all split up and disappeared into piles of hay and wheat to scare out the prey. Well, except Spottedpaw who climbed the rafters and disappeared over the ledge of the loft.

Tons of little plump brown bodies squealed and ran out of the hay with ferile cats nipping at their tails. Specklepaw rather enjoyed it. She swiped out a paw and flung a mouse up in the air and caught between her jaws. Pinkpaw and Thornpaw had cornered half a dozen, but they onoy killed what they needed. Graypaw was about to make a catch when Figpaw clumsily pushed her into a shiny bucket.

Specklepaw giggled at the two gray cats. Graypaw was hssing with annoyance that Figpaw had once again gotten in her way. The two gray-colored apprentices seemed to despise each other, but every cat knew that they would be mates someday. They just didn't see it.

Suddenly, Spottedpaw mewed in surprise and made the loft tremble. "I found a bird's nest! It has eggs in it."

"Cool. What color?" A brown tabby tom asked.

Spottedpaw described the eggs to Thornpaw as if they were proper food. "They are blue spotted eggs. We can eat them right?"

"Robin eggs. Only RiverClan eat eggs because of the duck nests." Thornpaw then demanded she get off the loft and back down to the safety of the ground.

They all settled down in a bed of straw and began to feast on their plump meal of mice, of course after Spottedpaw had her fun of hunting for herself and two useless gray apprentices. They caught a few more after they were done to take back to camp.

"It's already, like, sunhigh!" Graypaw gasped, blinking her eyes rapidly to adjust to the light.

"Our mentors will be furious!" Spottedpaw mewed bitterly. She hated Birdtalon. He was not a good a mentor at all so far!

Figpaw squeezed through and came up to them. "Forget our mentors. The whole Clan'll be mad!"

"Then let's go!" Graypaw yowled.

With their hunt in their jaws, they ducked under fences and avoided the farm animals. The big feathery birds, chickens, looked especially delicious. If they weren't grounded to the camp for moons, they would definitely come back and take down one of those big, stupid, flightless birds!

As they ducked under the last fence, they whooped in joy to be off the yellow tufty farmplace grass and back on the green blades of WindClan. With a leader-like yowl, Thornpaw led them down the slope.

Specklepaw raced down after them. The unbreaking wind in her ears was like watersong. Suddenly, she skidded her paws to a halt. Was that a mew she heard?

Turning around, the amber farmplace cat was sticking a paw out of the fence. "Bye, WindClan!" He waved his tail. "Bye, Specklepaw!"

"Um, bye...?" She stared at him confusedly.

"See you later!" Mathias mewed. He whipped around and padded back to his barn.

"Or not." Specklepaw clicked her tongue and began to race back to camp.

* * *

"Thornpaw!" A brown tabby growled.

It was Fallentree, Thornpaw's mentor. He stalked out of camp and approached the apprentices just as they had returned. Following him were the other warriors with apprentices.

"Lookout Rock." Fallentree stamped a paw onto the ground. "Now."

"Brother," Hookclaw lashed her tail at him. "They have prey. Let them take it to the fresh-kill pile."

Fallentree stared at the apprentices with a scary glare. Specklepaw felt her pelt burn in shame. She didn't want to be in trouble. The next Gathering was soon. She really wanted to go!

"Fine." The tabby growled, flattening his ears to his head. "Drop off your prey. Then come to Lookout Rock right away."

Fallentree led the mentors towards the tall stone in the distance. Specklepaw hung her head as she caught a disappointing glance from Silvertooth. Spottedpaw pressed their flanks together. It was comforting.

After dropping their mice off, the group quickly padded to Lookout Rock. Figpaw was cursing under his breath. "That Stripedfoot is a mouse-brain..."

"I heard that!" Spottedpaw yowled. She lunged at him with unsheathed claws. He ducked down to the ground with surprise on his face.

Pinkpaw suddenly pushed her down onto the ground. "Come on, 'paws. We are all in trouble. We need to brace ourselves and be their when the punishment from our mentors come."

"He called my father a mouse-brain." Spottedpaw muttered, butting her shoulder roughly on Pinkpaw. Specklepaw shook her head and helped Figpaw up to his paws.

"Your sister is crazy." Figpaw whispered into Specklepaw's ear.

Specklepaw couldn't help but purr. "I know."

They came upon the tall stone. The warriors were gathered their waiting for their apprentices. Actually, a few of them were still in camp, it it was still scary to see. Figpaw gave Specklepaw a reassuring lick behind her black ear.

"We can explain." Thornpaw meowed confidently.

* * *

My StarClan! Both my computers are blahh! Sorry for the wait. At least I finally got it up...

Anyway! I think Specklepaw has a new romantic interest. Hint-hint: the grumpy gray one!

Does anyone else speak Ham-Chat? Bye-Q for now hammo!


	17. Chapter 17

Early Morning Frost: Chapter 17

* * *

It was quite scary for Specklepaw to have most of the mentors scolding the apprentices. Thornpaw got the worst of it since he was the oldest. Specklepaw couldn't help but feel ashamed for sneaking off to the farmplace. The pleasant green-leaf sun turned harsh on her back. The tall stone that made up Lookout Rock seem even bigger. She felt almost dizzy and just plain horrible.

In the middle of Fallentree's lecture, Hookclaw chimed in once more. "Shut up, fox-heart." She meowed to the brown tabby, earning quiet giggles from the apprentices. "When we were apprentices, we'd sneak off to the farmplace as well. It was just bad luck you got lost in the tunnels."

"They could have just walked there." Fallentree muttered, feeling hypocritical.

"But you didn't come straight back when you got out." Silvertooth meowed, backing up an embarrassed Fallentree. "You didn't return until sunhigh even though you escaped at dawn."

Figpaw leaned into Specklepaw's ear. "They wouldn't be so mad if-"

"Would you speak up, Figpaw?" Fallentree growled, lashing his tail at the small tom.

Figpaw threw his head up defiantly. "Sure. We did not return to camp until sunhigh. We made you all worry, huh?"

Fallentree jumped to his paws. "Yes, and you all-"

The small gray tom interrupted him. "You were worried because you had no idea where almost all of the apprentices were. But if Fuzzypaw, the only cat who knew we left, had let you know, we wouldn't have to make this such a big deal."

Every cat fell silent. He had impressed them, especially Specklepaw. It was usually Thornpaw who would explain things like that to the higher ranks. The howling wind even seemed to give Figpaw a paw of approval.

"Whatever." The bigger tom muttered. "Dismissed. Your mentors will decide your punishments individually."

Specklepaw felt her fur fluff up. What was Silvertooth going to do? She padded quickly back to camp with Figpaw and Spottedpaw by both of her flanks. Pinkpaw and Graypaw went off to hunt with a droopy-tailed Thornpaw following from behind them.

"My goodness! I thought he'd never shut up!" Spottedpaw meowed with relief.

"I was really impressed by you back there." Specklepaw murmured into Figpaw's ear.

"Hey!" Spottedpaw thruster herself between him and her sister. "What?"

"Nothing," Figpaw glared at her.

Spottedpaw threw her head up dramatically, acting an awful lot like a pumped up Graypaw. "Fine! Be that way."

The black-and-white she-cat padded ahead of them. Figpaw let out a sigh of relief. He obviously found Specklepaw's sister annoying.

She shook her head amusedly. It was just nice to be back home. Specklepaw never imagined that one night away from camp could make her miss it so much. The feel of the gritty hard sand, the scent of gorse and heather, the Tallrock looming over the Clan... it was all playing in her head while they were in the tunnels.

"I'm sorry I got lost and made you and every cat else get lost in the tunnels, too." Figpaw looked ahead as the camp approached.

Specklepaw nearly tripped over a knot of grass. She had only been sleeping near him for a few quarter moons. She had never imagined him saying 'sorry' in a million leader lives!

"Specklepaw, I have something to tell you," the tom confessed.

Specklepaw felt her heart jump. She could feel her pelt flush warm. She could also feel his pelt burning next to hers. Her heart was racing as Figpaw took a deep breath.

"I-"

"Specklepaw!" A familiar meow interrupted him. It was Silvertooth. "Come with me. Now."

"Sorry, Figpaw." She murmured before going over to the gray dappled warrior.

Silvertooth walked with her back to camp. "Specklepaw, you're not in trouble."

"Really?" She perked up. The sun on her back and the breeze in her pelt suddenly felt better than usual.

"Yes. It's nobody's fault you got lost."

Specklepaw nodded as they walked into camp. Her mother padded over. "I'm so happy you're safe! When we couldn't find you apprentices the whole Clan got worried! We almost decided to go and raid ShadowClan."

Spotpelt licked her daughter over the ears with loving purrs. "Thanks?" Specklepaw giggled.

"Ahem." Silvertooth cleared his throat. "Sorry, Spotpelt, but Specklepaw has duties to catch up on."

"Oh! Sorry." The gray-and-white queen meowed. "Go on, Specklepaw."

She ducked her head in embarrassment and followed Silvertooth to the Tallrock. Specklepaw saw Wolfstar pad towards them. There was going to be a meeting. She knew it was about the apprentices. She wondered if they could ever live this down.

"Do you think I'll go to the Gathering?" She asked aloud.

"Wolfstar doesn't want any apprentices to go, but you have to bring at least a couple to show." Silvertooth replied. "I'll personally ask Wolfstar for you."

Specklepaw purred. Suddenly, Wolfstar meowed loudly and called the Clan together. She jumped out of her fur and looked up. He was probably going to say that apprentices can't go out of camp after night, or he might publicly humiliate them.

"Thornpaw, please come up here." The leader said to every cat's surprise.

Specklepaw snuck a peak at Thornpaw and his mentor. Despite the spitting mad attitude Fallentree had earlier, the brown tabby warrior seemed proud of his nephew.

Thornpaw however was very surprised. Speckelpaw wasn't. After all, Thornpaw pretty much led them out of the tunnel and back to camp. Graypaw scrambled up to her paws and followed Thornpaw to the Tallrock.

Wolfstar nodded to the golden-brown apprentice. He leapt up onto the rising rocks and stood next to the gray tom. A few rocks tumbled down from the top causing cats to back up. Specklepaw felt her heart leap as a stone almost caught her paw. Silvertooth yanked her out of the way.

A small wispy gasp from the medicine cat, Dandelioneyes, was followed by the old she-cat's murmur, "it's happening."

"I, Wolfstar, leader of WindClan," Wolfstar began the ceremony, obviously not showing wariness from the crumbling Tallrock. "Call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn."

Specklepaw felt her heart flutter in excitement for her friend. For leading them back to safety, Thornpaw was actually becoming a warrior! He deserved it, too. He was already very warrior-like from what she could tell.

Wolfstar continued the dawnless ceremony. "Thornpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

The lean tabby tom gave him a sincere nod. "I do." He swore to protect and help his Clan be the best it could be. Specklepaw wouldn't be surprised if he got Meadowkit as his apprentice and then become deputy someday.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Thornpaw, from this moment you will be known as," Wolfstar paused, causing Thornpaw to dig his claws into the stone wondering what his new name will be. "Thornfoot. StarClan honors your bravery and enterprise, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan."

Wolfstar rested his chin on Thornfoot's head. The tabby licked the leader's shoulder in response. The newly made warrior jumped down. The Clan surged around him.

"Thornfoot! Thornfoot!" They cheered.

"Remember, you sit vigil until dawn." Wolfstar reminded him.

"I will." He nodded happily.

After Specklepaw gave him her congratulations, she noticed Graypaw by the fallen stones of the Tallrock. She looked wounded. Her brother was made a warrior but she was not.

"Graypaw," she padded up to her.

"Oh, it's fine. He deserves it. I didn't do anything to get us home and out of the ground." The gray tabby said. "But Wolfstar better give me an awesome name to make up for it!"

"I hope so." Specklepaw agreed.

Graypaw nodded and went over to speak with her brother. Specklepaw wondered how WindClan could have ever been devastated in leaf-bare.

"Hey, Specklepaw!" Quailpaw meowed. He seemed extra grumpy.

"Hello, Quailpaw. I'm sorry we haven't spoken to you..."

The brown tom rolled is eyes. "It's fine. All I do is learn about herbs and stuff from Dandelioneyes. I don't know if being medicine cat is what I really want to do. I want to hunt and fight and be a regular apprentice."

"I'm sorry. You're an apprentice just like us, but we've been leaving you out." She looked down at her paws.

"I'm just lonely." He admitted. "And bored! All I do is deliver herbs to the elders and patch up scratched pads when warriors step on rocks." Then he growled. "Guess what."

"What?"

Quailpaw leaned into her ear and whispered a secret.

* * *

I know how much you all hate Featherfang, his mother. The next chapter is just for those Feather-haters! Mwahaha... ha...


	18. Chapter 18

Early Morning Frost: Chapter 18

* * *

The breeze was blowing and the clouds were running. The sun made long shadows and made everything it touched gold. Golden rabbits leapt and golden birds flew. It was the most beautiful sight. WindClan was surely the most prettiest Clan of them all.

Specklepaw and Quailpaw, Dandelioneyes' apprentice, had decided to go for a bit of sunset hunting after Thornfoot's warrior ceremony. The lonely brown tom had learned of a secret earlier that day while the other apprentices were still returning from the farmplace. It was a secret so horrible it made him want to be carried away by a hawk like his brothers had.

Quailpaw whispered into Specklepaw's ear. Her eyes widened adn she even jumped back. How horrible!

"Are you serious!" She mewed, her fur bristling.

"Yes. It's true." He nodded. "For me it's horrible, but any other cat except us might say 'whatever' and 'congratulations.'"

"Yes, but I can NOT believe it!" Specklepaw shook her head, letting her short fur flatten. "How could they?"

Quailpaw sighed through his nose and sat down. They had already scared away the prey here for now. He looked out towards the sunset with a distant look in his yellow eyes.

"Can you repeat it?" The black-and-white apprentice asked, still not quite understanding it.

"Featherfang told Dandelioneyes that she was carrying Birdtalon's kits and she needed some borage. She must have known I was there. She kept saying how much she loves these kits already. She was almost bragging that Birdtalon wanted these kits and waws going to raise them with her." Quailpaw felt his nose get moist. "She doesn't love me. She never loved me... Featherfang is going to be happy with those kittens and never with me... My mo-mother hates me..."

Specklepaw was surprised by the emotion in his words. The first time he told her he was shocked and mad, but now he was sad. Specklepaw sat down next to him. "She's not your mother. Remember?"

He looked at her with confused eyes. "Wha?"

"Brightfur is your true mother. Fuzzypaw is your littermate. You have many cats that love you, Quailpaw." She reassured him. He was starting to look better already. "If WindClan was a cat itself, it would love you and your loyalty to it."

"I never thought about it like that." He admitted grumpily.

_Good, he's back to his old self. _She thought happily. Specklepaw and Quailpaw sat silent for a few moments enjoying the last of the sun's warmth and the cool breeze that was always blowing. But how could Featherfang love this new litter kits more than her last? It was very queenly of her.

"If I had another secret," Quailpaw ventured. "And it was crazy, like, almost impossible, would you believe me?"

"If it's as crazy as the thought of... Mudkit and Birdkit surviving the hawk attack... or Featherfang and these kits... then no." She admitted with flattened ears. "Sorry,"

The medicinal tom shrugged. "No, it's fine. It was just hypothetical."

* * *

"Hey, hey! Wait for me." The brown tom yowled after his littermates. "You know I can't swim well."

"You can't swim at all." His fuzzy gray brother hissed with amusement.

A gray she-cat wacked them both in the head. "Ashpaw, be nice to Mudpaw. And Mudpaw, let's just get your paws wet."

"I just don't like water." Mudpaw said, looking down at his paws. "I can tell Mothtail isn't happy I'm her apprentice."

"I wouldn't be." Ashpaw muttered under his breath. "Ow! Willowpaw, that hurt."

"Good!" She growled.

Willowpaw led her two brothers to the edge of the water. She and Ashpaw were excellant swimmers; they had been swimming since they could open their eyes. But Mudpaw didn't even like putting his paws in puddles. It was only naturally since he wasn't from RiverClan.

Mudpaw looked into the water where it flowed turned past every stone. It reminded him of WindClan, how the breeze would go around things. But he didn't want to be in WindClan. Not after his earliest memories in leaf-bare. Nor if he had to see his parents.

The brown tom contimplated. Should he go into the water? Or should he not? His instincts told him to just back away from the river.

"Just go in all already!" Ashpaw yowled, pushing his brother into the water.

Mudpaw stumbled and fell into a deep dip. He thrashed around wildly. He couldn't keep his head above water. Like normal RiverClan cats, he should have taken an instinctive breath, but he didn't.

His paws were scraping against the sticky sand and he could feel his whole body being carried down the river. Mudpaw bumped into some rocks, scraping his body with unbearable stings. The coldness enveloped his body and subdued him. He couldn't fight it any longer.

Mudpaw didn't have the strength to push himself up for air. His lungs burned like fire, and if he quenched it with water he would die even sooner.

_Why do I have to die like this? I mean, come on, StarClan! I survived a hawk attack..._

Suddenly, he had the strength to live. He swished his paws as if he were running. Running on the moorland. Running from the hawk. Running for his life.

Mudpaw gasped; he had his head above water now. Though he could only let himself be carried away, he was able to dodge out of the way of sharp jutting rocks and he could breath.

"Mudpaw!" Willowpaw cried, trying to run along the pebbly bank. But she couldn't run fast enough. "The rapids!"

His eyes widened but he didn't panic for some reason. The crashing white water churned like thunder. Even the most brave and strongest and most skilled RiverClan warriors could not get through the rapids and live. If they did live they'd be a mouse-tail away from StarClan.

* * *

**DUHN DUHN DUUUHN! Why is Featherfang having more kits? Will Quailpaw ever reveal his dream at the Moonstone? Will Mudpaw survive? Why do you all play into my traps?**

**I'd like to thank every single author out there! Yes, give yourselves a round of applause. This story finally has MORE views that Legend of a Zebra-Striped Kit! Thank-Q, hammos!**

**Anyway, I also want to say that because ShadowClan will obviously play a big part of the story later, I need some cats. I actually have allegiances for all of the five Clans except for ShadowClan... Submit mutiple, please! **

**Name:  
Gender:  
Age:  
Rank:  
Pelt:  
Eyes:  
Personality:  
Family:**

**And I'm a mouse-brain because, sorry StamiSprite, I don't know a warrior name contest is... i-i**


	19. Chapter 19

Early Morning Frost: Chapter 19 

* * *

The sun was gone and the bright slate of moon was rising into the sky. The last wisps of clouds were far away from the moon promising the Clans a peaceful Gathering as long as they abide the full moon truce.

"Wow, finally!" Spottedpaw mewed, digging her claws into the hard gritty sand. "Our first Gathering!"

"We might not be picked. We might have to guard the camp like when we were first apprenticed." Specklepaw murmured to her sister, though the excitement of going to her first Gathering was a bright twinkle in her blue eyes.

Spottedpaw sighed, looking at her sister with a gloomy glance. "You're such a downer. You're like a ShadowClan queen. Mopey and droopy." She teased.

Specklepaw didn't like it when her sister compared her to ShadowClan cats. The warriors and other cats gathered around the Tallrock waiting for Wolfstar to choose which cats were going. Thornfoot and Pinkpaw came over to sit with them as Wolfstar began to announce who was going to the Gathering.

"The cats going to the Gathering are Sproutleaf, Dandelioneyes and Quailpaw, Goldenfang, Twofur, Birdtalon, Stripedfoot, Spotpelt, Gentlevoice, Thornfoot, Tawnytail, Brightfur, Figpaw, and Spottedpaw and Specklepaw." The WindClan leader decided.

Graypaw and Fuzzypaw scuffed the sand with their paws. Specklepaw and Spottedpaw purred excitedly, all fallouts aside. As they all dispersed and went to the fresh-kill pile, she caught Silvertooth's eye. She saw that it was her mentor who recommended her. They would have been guarding the camp twice in a row! But now they were going to their first Gathering!

She gave him a thankful nod as her friends and her padded away for a piece of fresh-kill.

The WindClan cats were the second Clan to arrive. Specklepaw took a deep whiff before they charged down the slope into Fourtrees. It stank of all the Clans naturally, but she could smell fresh pine and rank carrion. It smelled like the border scents that were left by ShadowClan by the thunderpath tunnel.

Upon Wolfstar's signal, just a flick of his tail, they raced down the slope faster than the wind with whoops and excited hollers. Specklepaw felt great. The wind was in her paws as she soared through the grass-

They slowed down and joined the ShadowClan cats around the Great Rock and the big oak trees. Specklepaw didn't know what to do. Silvertooth wasn't chosen to come, so she looked around wildly knowing she must have a shy and scared expression.

"Let's meet the other apprentices." Spottedpaw whispered, almost making Specklepaw fly out of her fur.

They padded across the grass. A group of young cats sat at the roots of one of the great oaks. "But they stink." Specklepaw muttered, dodging out of the way of a big ShadowClan warrior who trudged past them.

"I bet we stink to them, too." Her sister retorted, ducking her head to avoid being whacked by Goldenfang's tail.

They walked over to where the other apprentices were. Specklepaw heard that ShadowClanners were snobby, cocky, and rude. She believed it, and she was hesitant to follow her sister.

It just felt too weird here in Fourtrees. The grass under her paws was different. It was green and tender and very short. She was used to sharp, tall blades that had seeds and flowers. And instead of starry skies overhead, there were oak branches only letting in half of the starlight. How could the other Clans sleep with canopies and bramble above them? Instead of seemingly endless fields in all directions, there was leafy woods and wet pine forests and the sound of a nearby river. Even the breeze was different. It was so different.

"Hey, new apprentices." A long-furred she-cat meowed at them, making all of her friends turn towards them as well.

"We're not new." Spottedpaw insisted, padding up to her. "This is just our first Gathering."

Specklepaw stood frozen by her sister's side. She knew she should say something but the green stare of the black she-cat made her skin burn. These were a scary looking bunch of apprentices.

"Hmm, should we believe you?" The black-pelted apprentice asked, her green eyes narrowed, relishing the sight of Specklepaw's nervousness.

Spottedpaw shrugged with a good-natured glare. Then she introduced themselves, since a mouse had her littermate's tongue apparently. "I'm Spottedpaw and this is my sister Specklepaw."

The other apprenticed snorted. "Wow. You aren't scared of ShadowClan?"

The white-and-black WindClanner purred amusedly. "You aren't scared of WindClan?"

"I'm Marshpaw." She laughed. "No one ever talks with us. We're scary, huh. So I was just surprised you rabbit-chasers are our first cats to talk to us here. Anyway, this is Graypaw," she pointed her nose to the gray tom who looked down at them coldly. "This is Cloudpaw." A silver she-cat waved at them with her tail kindly. "Whitepaw." She nodded to a big black tom with a white streaked chest. "And the rest of the apprentices aren't here."

"And I'm Puddlepaw." The last apprentice rolled his eyes and introduced himself with a mutter, as if he were used to being left out.

"So do you have any Clan secrets to tell us?" Spottedpaw asked, skipping over Puddlepaw as if he weren't there. Their mentors said to never reveal Clan secrets.

Graypaw opened his mouth as if he were actually going to tell them a ShadowClan secret. Marshpaw whacked him with her feathery black tail. Suddenly, the hollers of another Clan interrupted them. Specklepaw looked up.

ThunderClan charged down with their leader, Barkstar, in the front. Specklepaw noticed how her Clan had brown, gray, a little bit of white, and black pelts while the other Clans had all kinds of colors. The forest cats were a blur of different colors and different sizes. There were small cats and big cats, plump cats and lean cats.

There was a snow-white she-cat from ThunderClan with big blue eyes. One of the queens had a beautiful silver marbled pelt. Even the medicine cat looked different. He had a stony blue pelt.

"Hey!" A big ginger tom padded towards them, after the new arrivals settled down. "I'm Sunpaw from ThunderClan."

"We've seen you before." Marshpaw meowed tartly. "Why are you talking to us now?"

"Having WindClan back-up is required to talk to ShadowClan scum safely." Sunpaw said with a growl.

"Watch it, kit." Graypaw hissed, fur fluffing up like a lion's mane.

Specklepaw thought that they might start fighting and break the truce. Luckily, RiverClan came and the Gathering was going to start soon. It seemed that after that almost all of the apprentices came over to them.

All the while, Specklepaw met a whole bunch of different cats! There was a RiverClan tom named Hawkpaw and he had one green eye and one blue eye. She met his friend Mudpaw who looked a little familiar and smelled like rainy wind and like he had a bad sniffle. Ashpaw was from RiverClan, too, but he was such a rude little scrap he could have been mistaken as a tart old kittypet.

"Hi, I'm Specklepaw." She introduced herself as bravely as she could to them.

Mudpaw glared at her with almost a sheen of sadness in his eyes. He turned around with his back to the rest of the apprentices. His brother Ashpaw just said random insults like a flea-ridden elder to no cat in particular.

There were more apprentices like Treepaw and a half-deaf golden she-cat named Adderpaw. There was Narrowpaw and Tawnypaw and Silverpaw and a whole bunch of young warriors that were apprentices not long ago. Specklepaw had a fun time with them. They were all boasting about their big catches of huge squirrels and pikes. They all tried to show off their new battle skills and they had a contest of how big they could all open their jaws. Spottedpaw was the winner.

Specklepaw took a moment to realize how many cats were gathered in the small valley. All four Clans with only a portion of their members was a huge group. She couldn't imagine what it would be like if every cat in the forest were there.

She turned to tell her sister something when Figpaw was by her side instead of Spottedpaw. "You scared me." She said, feeling her heart jump a little.

"Sorry." The gray tom laughed.

Finally, Barkstar started the Gathering officially as the night was was only moments from exact moonhigh. Specklepaw looked around for her sister and found her sitting a little too closely to Graypaw. This was all fun, but she didn't like him so close to her sister.

"...and we have a new warrior here with us tonight. Fireface." The big tabby said looking down at his warriors.

Every cat turned their heads to see Fireface. Most of the cats welcomed her by saying her name. Even Specklepaw joined in. The red she-cat looked very embarrassed.

On Foamstar's turn announced that his deputy, Creektail, had retired to the elders den. Specklepaw could feel the excitement in the air. He had to announce the new deputy right now before it was too late.

"I call upon our warrior ancestors to look upon and approve of my choice that Fishclaw will be the new deputy of RiverClan." The long-furred tom said.

A smoky gray tom threw up his head proudly. Specklepaw assumed he was Fishclaw. The whole of the gathered Clan cats seemed to approve of his choice as they yowled his name.

"FISHCLAW! FISHCLAW!" Ashpaw screamed happily. "That's my father! He's the new deputy!" He yowled in the surrounding cats' ear, making them cry in pain.

"Fishclaw. Fishclaw." Mudpaw mewed lamely compared to his brother.

Foamstar gave the rest of the report with a spring in his voice. There were kits being born and the Clan was well-stocked with prey. The river was high but not flooding, oddly.

"I guess it's my turn?" The ShadowClan leader asked as Foamstar finished with a mumble. "Well, we have two new apprentices: Cloudpaw and Bumblepaw."

"It's PUDDLEPAW!" The mottled tom yowled so loud that the stars seemed to go to a stand still.

Every cat turned around to stare at the apprentices. Cloudpaw hid her head in her paws. Puddlepaw stood up on his paws and stared defiantly at each pair of glowing eyes.

Slowly, each cat began to mew their approval. Even the senior warriors dipped their head at the tall apprentice.

"Cloudpaw and Puddlepaw." Mudstar corrected herself. "Um..." She continued her report with a tart tone. It was obvious Puddlepaw would get a little talk later... if she remembered he existed when they got back to camp.

Specklepaw looked past Figpaw and saw her sister whispering to Puddlepaw. She felt a growl rumble in her throat.

Wolfstar gave his short report when the brown she-cat was done. He mentioned nothing of his apprentices' escapade. The prey was good and the green-leaf sun wasn't too hot.  
"Also, we have a new warrior with us tonight. Thornfoot."

Specklepaw yowled as loudly as she could for him. The brown tabby, who sat up near the front, had his chest puffed out though she could tell he was a little embarrassed. She heard Figpaw cheering, too, but he obviously was a little sour on his rival's spotlight.

"The Gathering is over." The small lean tom meowed at last.

The Gathering broke out with talking as friends and enemies said their farewells. Specklepaw watched her friends pad away with their Clan. She couldn't imagine fighting with Marshpaw and Cloudpaw and Whateverhisnamewaspaw in battle. Hopefully it would never come to that. For now, at least, the four Clans were at peace.

Figpaw helped her meet up with the WindClan group before leaving. They had to dodge warriors and avoid tripping elders. A half-blind old she-cat who stank of fish nearly toppled over Specklepaw.

"Everyone here?" Wolfstar asked, doing a head count of his warriors as they padded over to him.

Specklepaw spun in a circle but didn't see her twin. "?" She couldn't find Spottedpaw. "Spottedpaw isn't here..."

* * *

Erm, yes, Mudpaw lived. His mentor pulled him out of the water before hit the white water.


End file.
